Blake Austin
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Blake Austin (born 1 February 1991) is a professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who plays as a for the
Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headi ...
in the
Betfred Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
. Austin previously played for the
Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington Z ...
( Heritage № 1147),
Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
,
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...
and the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
in the
NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
. He played for the
City Origin The Sydney Rugby League team, known as the City Rugby League team, or Combined Sydney, or Sydney Firsts, or Sydney Capitals, is a representative rugby league team. From 2021, the men's team is to consist of players selected from the New South Wa ...
team in 2015 and Portugual and
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
at international level. He has also represented England at 9s.


Early life

Austin was born in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, to parents Robert and Maree. He is of English descent through his grandmother. A
Doonside Roos Doonside Roos Rugby League Football Club is an Australian rugby league football club based in Doonside, New South Wales formed in 1968. Notable Juniors Notable First Grade Players that have played at Doonside Roos include: *Jarrod Sammut (2007- ...
junior, Austin was also a baseballer and sprinter as a child. In 2001, he appeared on ''The Footy Show'' as the winner of the "league of their own" video contest for best junior rugby league try. He won a brand new
Holden Jackaroo Jackaroo may refer to: * Jackaroo (trainee), an Australian agricultural trainee * Holden Jackaroo, an Australian market name for a Japanese utility or wagon for rough ground * Thruxton Jackaroo, a 1950s British four-seat biplane * Buddy William ...
, which his parents sold in order to move out of a
Doonside Doonside is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Doonside is located 40 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western ...
housing commission and into their own home in
Mount Druitt Mount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney reg ...
. In 2009, Austin represented the
Australian Schoolboys The Australian Schoolboys refer to junior teams that represent Australia in various sports. The name is mainly used in rugby league, rugby union and baseball. Other popular team sports in Australia such as cricket, basketball, association footbal ...
team while attending
St Dominic's College, Penrith , motto_translation = The Lord is my Light , location = Penrith , city = Western Sydney , state = New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , established = , educational_authority = New South Wales Department of Education , ...
.


Playing career


Penrith Panthers

With the
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...
incapable of making the semi-finals in 2011, Austin made his NRL debut for the Penrith club in round 25 against the
Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
. He scored a try in his second game, against the
St. George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
in round 26. During the 2012 pre-season, Austin re-signed with the Penrith club on a two-year contract. He played 13 games in 2012, scoring a try and kicking 8 goals from 9 attempts. In 2013, Austin played just one game for Penrith before suffering a foot injury.


Wests Tigers

On 7 August 2013, Austin signed with the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
on a two-year contract starting in 2014. Future coach
Mick Potter Michael Potter (born 24 September 1963) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the interim head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League, and a former professional rugby league football ...
described him as, "a player with plenty of potential. He can cover centre, half, five-eighth and lock and is also an excellent goal kicker." Austin began the 2014 season playing in the NSW Cup for the Tigers' feeder team, the
Balmain Ryde-Eastwood Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995–96) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in t ...
. He was said to be "dominating" the lower grade. He made his club debut for the Tigers in round 6, after
Braith Anasta Braith Anastasakis (born 14 January 1982), better known as Braith Anasta, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian and Greek international, Anasta played in the NRL ...
was suspended. The following week, Austin was a late inclusion on the bench after
Liam Fulton Liam Mark Fulton (born 8 August 1984), also known by the nickname of "Bozo", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL) compe ...
withdrew with a shoulder injury. He continued to be chosen on the bench, until moving to five-eighth in July after Anasta suffered a career-ending bicep injury. He appeared in every game for the remainder of the year, scoring seven tries. Commentator Peter Sterling named Austin as one of the bargain buys of the season, saying it was "obvious he’s a natural footballer with good skills and an ability to play what’s in front of him."


Canberra Raiders

On 14 October 2014, Austin was released by the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
to sign a three-year deal with the
Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
starting in 2015. Austin entered the Canberra side as a starting line-up five-eighth and was selected to play the first game of the season against the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...
. Austin set up and scored his first try with the club in the Raiders' round 3 loss to the
St. George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
. After several tries and a countless number of strong performances, Austin scored his first career hat-trick against Newcastle in Round 18, incredibly scoring all three tries within eleven minutes. On 28 September 2015, Austin was named as the Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year. He finished the 2015 season playing a total of 23 matches, 16 line-breaks, 7 try-assists and 14 tries. In 2016, Austin played 19 games for Canberra as they finished second on the table at the end of the regular season. 2016 was also the first year that Austin had played finals football. At the start of 2018, Canberra lost their opening 4 games of the season and as a result Austin was demoted to reserve grade by coach Ricky Stuart. On 24 June 2018, it was reported that Austin had rejected a contract extension with the club which was confirmed by Canberra's recruitment manager Peter Mulholland. Mulholland told the media "Blake had an offer on the table last year and he rejected that offer, and as in the game you've got to move on and unfortunately he didn't take the offer and we've moved on, basically, It's unfortunate, but that's the way it works with the salary cap, you cannot keep everybody". On 30 June 2018, Canberra led Brisbane 16-0 at halftime until a second half fight back from Brisbane made the scores 24-22. With the game on the line, Austin attempted a goal line drop out which went over the touchline on the full giving Brisbane a penalty goal shot right in front of the posts to win the match 26-22. On 9 July, Austin signed a three-year deal to join English side the
Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington Z ...
On 12 August 2018, Canberra were trailing the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
22-20 with three minutes left in the game. Austin attempted to tackle Wests winger
David Nofoaluma David Nofoaluma (born 28 November 1993) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. He previously played for the Melbourne Storm on-loan from the Wests Tigers and has played at representa ...
but was penalized by the referee after Austin lifted Nofoaluma in a dangerous position which was similar to a "
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
-style powerbomb". The costly penalty gave Wests a much needed reprieve and ended up holding on for the victory.


Warrington

Austin made his competitive debut for
Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
in the seasons opening 26-6 win against
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
. Scoring his first try in the second half. Austin was part of the Warrington side which finished 4th during the
Super League XXIV Super League XXIV, known as the Betfred Super League XXIV for sponsorship reasons, was the 2019 iteration of and the 24th season of the Super League and 125th season of rugby league in Great Britain. Twelve teams competed over 29 rounds, incl ...
season but were eliminated in the first week of the finals series by
Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...
14-12. On 4 August 2021, Austin signed a one-year deal to join
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
for the 2022 season.


Leeds

In round 2 of the 2022 Super League season, Austin made his club debut for Leeds in their 34-12 loss against
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...
. On 24 September 2022, Austin played for Leeds in their 24-12 loss to
St Helens RFC St Helens R.F.C. is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside who compete in the Super League, the top tier for rugby league in Great Britain. They are the current Champions, having won the last 4 consecutive titles, and becom ...
in the 2022 Super League Grand Final.


Representative career

At age 16, Austin was invited to play for
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
in their match against
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
on 6 October 2007, kicking two goals in Portugal's losing effort. In October 2009, Austin represented Portugal in the Australian Mediterranean (Aus-Med) Shield at
Marconi Stadium Marconi Stadium is a soccer stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is the home ground for Marconi Stallions, as well as regularly hosting matches for the Western Sydney Wanderers FC National Youth League and W-League teams. Marconi Stallions Althou ...
in Sydney, a tournament made up completely of Australian residents, such as
Cameron Ciraldo Cameron Ciraldo (born 30 October 1984) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL, and a former professional rugby league footballer. He is known as the defens ...
,
John Skandalis John Skandalis (born 16 June 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies and for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells in the Na ...
and
Jarrod Sammut Jarrod Sammut (born 15 February 1987) is a Maltese international rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Barrow Raiders in the BetFred Championship. He previously played as a for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL, and played for Cr ...
. Austin represented Portugal at the 2012
Cabramatta International Nines Cabramatta International Nines is a rugby league nines tournament held annually in Cabramatta, New South Wales, Australia it was first held in 2003. The 2020 will be broadcast online by The81stMinute Call Team on steelesports.com.au with video ...
. Austin has said, however, that he does not have Portuguese ancestry. ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' joked that he qualified "because he had eaten a Portuguese chicken burger". Austin later explained Portugal national team coach Mal Speers invited him to play because he knew Austin's father. Austin attended because he was young and didn't feel like turning down any invitations to play rugby league and thought playing international league could be an interesting experience. Austin was selected to represent
City Origin The Sydney Rugby League team, known as the City Rugby League team, or Combined Sydney, or Sydney Firsts, or Sydney Capitals, is a representative rugby league team. From 2021, the men's team is to consist of players selected from the New South Wa ...
in 2015. In July 2019, Austin was selected by Wayne Bennett for England's 27-man Elite Performance Squad. He was selected in
England 9s The 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s was an international rugby league tournament played in the rugby league nines format, to be held in Australia on 18 and 19 October 2019. Twelve national teams competed, with four of those also fielding women's team ...
squad for the
2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s The 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s was the first staging of the Rugby League World Cup 9s tournament and took place on 18 and 19 October 2019 at Sydney's Bankwest Stadium. The tournament featured teams from 12 International Rugby League member ...
. He was selected in squad for the
2019 Great Britain Lions tour Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...
of the Southern Hemisphere.


Personal life

Having suffered a foot injury early in 2013, Austin volunteered to coach the under 16
Doonside Roos Doonside Roos Rugby League Football Club is an Australian rugby league football club based in Doonside, New South Wales formed in 1968. Notable Juniors Notable First Grade Players that have played at Doonside Roos include: *Jarrod Sammut (2007- ...
team, a group of boys dubbed "the uncoachables" due to their poor discipline. The team was defeated by the Colyton Mt Druitt Colts 26-16 in their Grand Final. Austin coached them again as under 17s in 2014. Austin was highly praised by the media after he drove a disabled Raiders fan to the team's game on 3 July 2016.


References


External links


Warrington Wolves profileSL profileCanberra Raiders profileNRL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Blake 1991 births Living people Australian people of English descent Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian rugby league players Canberra Raiders players Leeds Rhinos players New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players Penrith Panthers players Portugal national rugby league team players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league players from Parramatta Warrington Wolves players Wests Tigers NSW Cup players Wests Tigers players Windsor Wolves players