Blake Austin Released

What's done is done….If it was me I wouldn't have released him ...Our depth in the halves is very limited if we are relying on Moses and Brooks to stay fit and fire in the week to week grid that is the NRL now with only Martin (who is lightyears from FG) as a back up well :pray: big time to the injury gods...

Wishing Blake all the best at the Raiders...He certainly gave his all on the field for us...can't ask for much more...
 
If Martin is light years from first grade then you're just another one of those ageist 'wait til they're 25 and played 100 nsw cup games and is a tough nut' bozos.

Martin will certainly play first grade next year. No doubt about it. Even if only for a few games. If we are to have any hope of retaining him for 2016 onwards we have to start including him in all first grade training and trials from now on and show him that he's in our plans for the future.

He will be a star of the future, and it's already complicated enough figuring out where to play him in the future without telling him to stay with the kiddies for another year or two. Develop him or lose him. Along with Nikorima at the Broncos they are the best halves in the nyc.

FFS, he was close to playing in the NRL trials last season he was so impressive at pre season training!!

Hunt, Milford, Benji etc - the best kids start when they're ready not when they reach a certain age or weight!
 
This is ridiculous. I'm over this whole compassionate release crap. The Tigers put their faith in him when the Panthers didn't, he has a good season and because of our gamble (which paid off) another team reaps the benefits come end of season even when he we had him locked up for another year.

I understand he has a young family and may have gotten a good offer from Canberra and may not be in the long term plans for his preferred position. But if Moses or Brooks go down, we have an untested half in Martin and a complete jockey in Moltzen as back up. Austin has also proven to be the most valuable utility in his time here and we let him walk "because it's a good opportunity."

He is also a great role model and leader on and off the field. I sincerely hope the club has a solid back up plan if one of our "future" halves go down. Martin is a great young player, but still small and unproven against fully grown men. Moltz treats a bomb like it's covered in Ebola.

I think the club made a pretty big mistake with this one, but what's done is done, and I hope there's a plan in action.

_Posted using RoarFEED_
 
Unbelievable. We finish 13th and release the player of the year when she had a side with so many duds. This is a kick in the face to the fans . I have supported every decision made by Taylor up too this point but this is just plain wrong. Unfortunately we will be lucky to finish 13 th next season. This is so disappointing
 
I don't think the club had much of a choice. He clearly didn't want to be here and maybe had a clause with a change of coach or NRL club approaching him.

I'm just frustrated that the club FINALLY makes an astute purchase for a good player on the cheap and he gets to walk for bigger money after 1 year into a 2 year deal.
Depending on the terms of the contract, Blake was a nothing, on the scrapheap and we saved him by throwing him a lifeline.
Sorry Blake, you sign a contract and know have to suck it up for 2 years and then next year you should get your market value. If we didn't give you your lifeline, you would be stuck playing park footy for match payments and a sausage sanga.

The Roosters do these deals all the time and are lauded as masters and we do one and lose it after 12 months.

I think Blake showed his true colours here.
 
@Balmain Boy said:
If Martin is light years from first grade then you're just another one of those ageist 'wait til they're 25 and played 100 nsw cup games and is a tough nut' bozos.

Martin will certainly play first grade next year. No doubt about it. Even if only for a few games. If we are to have any hope of retaining him for 2016 onwards we have to start including him in all first grade training and trials from now on and show him that he's in our plans for the future.

He will be a star of the future, and it's already complicated enough figuring out where to play him in the future without telling him to stay with the kiddies for another year or two. Develop him or lose him. Along with Nikorima at the Broncos they are the best halves in the nyc.

FFS, he was close to playing in the NRL trials last season he was so impressive at pre season training!!

Hunt, Milford, Benji etc - the best kids start when they're ready not when they reach a certain age or weight!
Click to expand...

I never mentioned age or weight…..I have no doubt he will play FG. but atm defensively he is lightyears from FG...given how great our defence has been for years another liability we do not need...It's great to score and set up points but that is only half the game...He struggles with big kiddies running at him it's a big step up taking on Burgess Williams Graham and the like... not to mention the toll it takes on a young maturing body...I use Benji as your perfect example
 
@Geo said:
Martin (who is lightyears from FG) …
Click to expand...

One of my pet hates. Light years is a measure of distance not time!

_Posted using RoarFEED_
 
Agree Geo plus Brooks had one of the highest missed tackle ratios in the entire Nrl this season. I know he will improve but currently he is a turnstile in defence.
We are struggling for memberships, the fans vote Austin as their POY and we release him with a year to go on his contract
That is treating the supporters with utter contempt and is typical of the mismanagement we have become accustomed to.
As well as the generally agreed need to bolster the centres and the back row, we now need to bolster the halves
If anyone actually watched our NSW Cup side in its playoff loss to Wyong you would have seen that the half / 5/8 were both really poor .The Austin release is hard to fathom but nothing should surprise us I suppose
 
@tigertye said:
This is ridiculous. I'm over this whole compassionate release crap. The Tigers put their faith in him when the Panthers didn't, he has a good season and because of our gamble (which paid off) another team reaps the benefits come end of season even when he we had him locked up for another year.

I understand he has a young family and may have gotten a good offer from Canberra and may not be in the long term plans for his preferred position. But if Moses or Brooks go down, we have an untested half in Martin and a complete jockey in Moltzen as back up. Austin has also proven to be the most valuable utility in his time here and we let him walk "because it's a good opportunity."

He is also a great role model and leader on and off the field. I sincerely hope the club has a solid back up plan if one of our "future" halves go down. Martin is a great young player, but still small and unproven against fully grown men. Moltz treats a bomb like it's covered in Ebola.

I think the club made a pretty big mistake with this one, but what's done is done, and I hope there's a plan in action.

_Posted using RoarFEED_
Click to expand...

Hence for me making the post in another thread yesterday the players/nlpa run the clubs the clubs dont run the players.Sucks for clubs but even more so us innocent fans losing our best player from last year.I still have a lot of faith in Taylor and what hes doing though.
 
@razor7 said:
Agree Geo plus Brooks had one of the highest missed tackle ratios in the entire Nrl this season. I know he will improve but currently he is a turnstile in defence.
We are struggling for memberships, the fans vote Austin as their POY and we release him with a year to go on his contract
That is treating the supporters with utter contempt and is typical of the mismanagement we have become accustomed to.
As well as the generally agreed need to bolster the centres and the back row, we now need to bolster the halves
If anyone actually watched our NSW Cup side in its playoff loss to Wyong you would have seen that the half / 5/8 were both really poor .The Austin release is hard to fathom but nothing should surprise us I suppose
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should of reinvested some of that time watching NSW cup into holden cup Temaire Martin would lead our NSW CUP halves for dead.Relax.We are good in halves options.
 
2014 Season Awards: Members Player of the Year
Dan Talintyre

Fri 3rd October, 02:00PM

Wests Tigers would like to congratulate Blake Austin on being named the 2014 Members Player of the Year at today’s Grand Final Luncheon.

Following on from thousands of votes, Austin finished on top of the Members’ tally after a stellar first year with the Club.

Austin joined the Wests Tigers from the Penrith Panthers at the beginning of the year and made his debut for the Club in Round 6 against North Queensland.

The 23-year-old played every match from that point, often filling various roles within the team including five-eighth, hooker, fullback and centre.

Austin finished the season with seven tries, just two behind the Club’s leader try-scorer Pat Richards on nine. The Doonside junior also finished the 2014 season on a positive note, with six line-breaks in the final five matches of the season.

_Posted using RoarFEED_
 
I did watch Holden cup Jerry and agree Matin is a fine prospect. But that's all Brooks, Moses and Martin are at this stage- prospects All three have huge defensive issues at this point in their developing careers. The Austin release was crazy
 
Blake had a fair season ,but guess what .we finished closer to the bottom so big deal .moses will be our starting five eight and in all honesty where would Blake fit in .JT keeps making the hard tough decisions that will turn our club around .we have a great spine when all are fit .all I'm waiting for is for JT to announce the signing of two first graders in the next few weeks .
 
Being old school a contract is a contract but things have changed, when someone throws a bucket load of money at you and you have a young family to support the pressure is on . If he was contracted for next season who initiated the talks himself or the Raiders?. To be honest the guy has shown his true colors and that was money , he is going to struggle finding a position in Canberra as I do not rate him in the halves the successful halves can kick and pass unfortunately Blake can do neither .Yes a strong runner of the ball and that is about it ,defence is sketchy at best.
I am putting a lot of hope in the way the club is evolving at the moment and I feel there is a definite plan emerging, good luck Blake it could be a very cold place in loserville.
 
And this is why the NRL needs to introduce a transfer fee much like the Premier League. Now that would be exciting.
Players leaving when contracted is the bain of the NRL and upsets fans of all clubs. Blake might be getting a better deal from the Raiders but what do we get out it. He wasnt on massive money so it is not like we are saving alot within the salary cap. Maybe a player exchange would of been better. One of the raiders young prospects for Blake would of been a better outcome.
 
He was on a second tier contract, just as he would have continued being second in line for various positions with us next season.

Like a couple of others released earlier this season, there is more behind the change of club than just dollars, but good luck to him, he tries hard.
 
so with Blake Austin going to the raiders is it the end of Terry Campese down there?
It will be interesting to see how Blake does go here in season 2015.

As we have seen over many seasons, players who are in need of a contract, all of a sudden are in career best form and once a deal is secured, the form drops off.
 
Shame to see him go

_Posted using RoarFEED 4.1.7_
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Staff online

Members online

Total: 207 (members: 35, guests: 172)
Forever online: Tigergran, Geo
Back
Top