Wests Tigers recruit Blake Austin taught life lesson as coach of troubled teens
by DANIEL LANE
What Blake Austin learnt from coaching a team of troubled teens should serve him well at the Wests Tigers, writes Daniel Lane.
W ests Tigers recruit Blake Austin thought he could teach a group of children from the wrong side of the tracks a bit about football when he volunteered to coach an under-16 team at Doonside in Sydney's west, but he quickly realised they needed much more than to be shown how to pass or kick a ball.
At the age of 22, the then-Penrith player became a father figure to 20 teenagers who were even written off by some of their club's officials as ''the uncoachables'' - an undisciplined bunch unworthy of anyone's time because their members were either in trouble with the law, a nightmare on and off the field and hurtling towards, at best, limited futures.
Austin admitted after just a few minutes into his tenure as coach of the Doonside Roos - a post he took on while he was sidelined by a long-term foot injury at the beginning of this year - he despaired as his team, which included two boys who needed to be home by 7pm because of a police curfew and another who missed every second week because he was in the juvenile justice system, hurled themselves into a brawl.
As he heard the words ''uncoachables'' hissed from committee members in the crowd, Austin knew he couldn't do the easy thing and walk away; couldn't add his name to the list of people who had given up on them because it was obvious ''his'' lads craved for someone to believe in them.
The man expected to take over Benji Marshall's No.6 jersey next year accepted the challenge and over the winter he taught them to have pride in the Doonside Roos maroon-and-white colours, to work towards a common goal and that they could belong, even in a joint that had expected only the worst from them, if they strove to improve.
''My younger brother has played alongside them for years but even in the club they labelled these kids 'the uncoachables' … it seemed everyone had given up on them and they didn't want to give them their time,'' Austin said.
''I had a good rapport with them and I wanted to teach them a bit about football, but it turned into something a bit more. Those kids taught me a lot … probably more than I did them.
''We had a squad of 20 kids and to give you an idea of the area, I only met three of the kids' parents. Three. These kids were catching trains to all our away games and they were living like adults. Two of them [have partners who] are having babies this off-season, and while that doesn't make them bad, it gives you an insight into their lives. I just wanted to be a positive influence.
''I became a constant in their lives, someone who was there for them. We trained two nights a week and for that hour we trained they listened, they learnt. But, when they went away it was back to their circles.
''I took them to the movies a few times; showed them something different. I guess they see me as one of their mates, but there is a line.''
Austin described watching the Uncoachables shine when they defeated St Clair 26-16 at Penrith's Centrebet Stadium in the 16(2) grand final as a treasured memory. ''They played good football,'' he said with an unmistakeable burst of pride. ''For the first few weeks [of the season] they couldn't get through a game without a fight, but when they stopped the silly stuff, they showed they could play.
''I'm going to coach them again next year, there's a couple of kids who should play in a higher division but they want to stay with their mates and that says a lot [about their loyalty]. These kids … mate, I'm not going to change them into saints or anything like that but if they can one day look back on their teenage years and think of their footy days as a good time, that'd be more then enough for me.
''If they remember I … tried … coached them and, you know, hung out with them, that'd be pretty special.''
Austin, who lived in Doonside before his family moved to Mount Druitt when he was 12, said no one should ever forget their roots but this off-season he has slaved to get to where he dreams of being - the Wests Tigers first-grade side.
Maybe, and we can only suppose this because Austin won't articulate it, he has tortured himself to emphasise to ''his'' 20 lads hard work has its rewards.
Regardless, this is the first off-season where Austin hasn't been in the ''fat boys' club'' and he said stripping nine kilos from his frame in an off-season that included driving from Penrith every Saturday to run the stairway to Hades at Coogee with his manager and former Kiwi league international Tyran Smith was a revelation.
''Over my last two seasons I was coming off surgeries and put on a bit of weight,'' he said. ''Last season I weighed in at 102 kilos and I'm weighing 93 now. I can't believe I played that heavy; I'm moving better, competing on more plays and am better for it.
''I'm excited by the season ahead. One of the reasons I joined Wests Tigers was because the club is a bit light on a few of the positions I can cover. I'll be hoping to … cement a spot in the halves.''
Smith says Austin has become even more ''mature'' over the past year but added the talented player, who qualified for Portugal's national league team to play against Greece and Italy when he was only 16 because he had eaten a Portuguese chicken burger, realised talent doesn't guarantee success. ''Maybe the challenge of joining a new club and the realisation, that no matter how talented a player you might be you still need to work hard, has made him even hungrier,'' Smith said.
Wests Tigers coach Michael Potter said Austin was recruited to play at either six or seven and while he would be scrutinised should he wear Marshall's old number, he warned supporters they would risk disappointment if they expected Benji Mach II.
''I was one of his biggest fans growing up,'' Austin said. ''But I'm not going there to recreate anything he's done. I want to bring my skills to the Wests Tigers and hopefully that can benefit the team. I'm at a point now where I've added a few things to my game. I'm ready to be a good No.6.''
Plenty might imagine the burden of replacing Marshall as ''crushing'', but the Uncoachables proved to Austin that in the game of life, perceptions mean stuff all.
