Former NRL playmaker Blake Austin has left the Leeds Rhinos to join the Castleford Tigers for the remainder of the season on a loan deal, effective immediately.
Targeted by several NRL clubs, the Australian playmaker will play with the Tigers until the end of this season, but his future beyond 2023 is still unknown. A former playmaker for the Penrith Panthers, Wests Tigers and Canberra Raiders, heย has emerged as a potential recruitment option forย Super Leagueย andย NRLย clubs for 2024.
If he does return back to theย NRL, it will be the first time since leaving theย Canberra Raidersย at the end of 2018 to join theย Warrington Wolvesย in theย Super League.
โI have never been afraid to do things a bit differently. If an opportunity came up to go home, that would be something I would look at and my kids would push me and force me to look at,โ Austin said on theย JBK Show previously.
โI am really confident I could cut it. I think I could do a really good job at 14.
โIf I was going back I would want to go to a successful team and just focus on me but I'm open to all offers.โ
โIt was a bit of a surprise to start with,โ Leeds coach Rohan Smith said on Austin's move away from the club.
โI went to bed somewhere between 10.30pm and 11:00pm and when I started my walk this morning, I turned my phone back on and had a message saying that it was likely that a deal had been done with Castleford.
โThrough the early parts of this morning, that was confirmed. It came as a bit of a surprise, for sure.
โI actually don't know all of the process that had happened there. But at this point in time, close to the transfer deadline, if a decision had been made, I was supportive of that once I was briefed on it this morning.
โYou'd have to ask Blake why he's moved, that's not for me to discuss. I've played no part in the negotiations and by the time I engaged, it was well down the path.โ
