A Tribute to Blake Austin, the NRL's Everyman Hero

An off-field incident involving a star NRL player made headlines this week, but this time it was for all the right reasons. Calum Henderson chronicles Blake Austin’s big week.

With just ten seconds on the clock in the first period of golden point, Canberra Raiders five-eighth Blake Austin received the ball on the 30 metre line and, under pressure from the onrushing Newcastle Knights defence, kicked what could only be described as a horrifically bad field goal attempt.

His effort ended up landing ingoal, a good ten or fifteen metres wide of the posts. The home crowd who had packed GIO Stadium for the Sunday matinée game – frenzied with stress after watching their side claw back a 22-0 deficit to force a 25-25 tie in regular time – threw up their arms in frustration. Then something funny happened.

The ball bounced unexpectedly back towards the field of play, a high and impossibly slow arc which bamboozled the Knights defenders and left the television commentators momentarily tongue-tied. One of them just managed to clear his throat in time to instinctively cry “look out!” before Jordan Rapana, who had started his chase the moment the ball left Austin’s boot, leapt to pluck it out of the air and plant it just before the dead ball line.

As if by magic, Blake Austin’s horrible kick had turned into a match-winning try assist.

In the aftermath of Sunday’s stirring win the Raiders fan favourite found himself a reluctant hero, though not for anything that happened on the field.

Driving to the ground on Sunday, it was widely reported, Blake Austin spotted a young woman dressed in Raiders supporters gear waiting at a bus stop. It was cold outside and it was obvious she was heading to the game, so he pulled over and offered her a lift.

It was a small act of kindness, but one which clearly struck a chord with rugby league fans – a good news story which spoke to the NRL’s renewed focus on community spirit in the wake of countless off-field player scandals over the past decade.

Later in the week, with the story spreading like wildfire, Austin provided his version of events to Fox Sports. He talked about how every home game he takes the same route from his home to the ground, superstitiously stopping for a coffee at the same place every time and always passing one particular bus stop.

“A few weeks ago, on my way to the Manly game, I noticed a couple of Raiders fans waiting for the bus,” he explained. “I thought about stopping and offering them a lift to the game, but chickened out at the last minute. When I thought about it later I regretted driving past them and not stopping.”

Though many NRL players contribute generously to their club’s community, Austin appears an unusually relatable figure – almost a throwback to a bygone era of the game. “Offering a lift to someone who is going to the same place as you shouldn’t be an anomaly,” he justified. “It was a cold day in Canberra and if I could help her out and make the trip a little quicker why wouldn’t I?”

Austin has form as one of league’s good guys. Back in his hometown Sydney, where he made his NRL debut for the Panthers in 2011 before moving to the Tigers for the 2014 season, he coached an U16s side at his childhood club Doonside. A diverse group of kids, many of them from underprivileged backgrounds, they had been described as “uncoachable” by some at the club. The year Austin coached them, they won their division.

2016 is Austin’s 6th season in the NRL, and his second in Canberra. The 25-year-old has taken his game to another level since arriving at the club, delivering on the early promise he showed at Penrith and Wests, where injuries limited his appearances. Since joining the Raiders he has also developed a signature look – an emphatic and distinctive goatee, which at its longest is rivalled only by that of Australian darts wizard Simon Whitlock.

Austin was instrumental in his side’s win on Sunday, kickstarting the comeback with a try just before half time. Late in the second half he coolly slotted what everyone thought was the match winning field goal, before the Knights successfully regathered a short restart and struck back with a field goal of their own to send the game to golden point.

After Sunday’s result the Raiders sit 6th on the table and have a strong foothold in the top 8. Coach Ricky Stuart, who took the reins in 2014, has his young squad playing an attractive style of footy, and the club seems to have built a hard-working, positive culture. Blake Austin fits in perfectly.