Blake Austin likes the feel of wearing the West Tigers No.6 jersey and plans to prove he’s a viable long-term option at five-eighth with a strong performance against the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval tomorrow night.
Used mostly as a utility by the Tigers, Austin will start in the halves beside Luke Brooks after regular five-eighth Braith Anasta had his season ended by a torn bicep in last week’s loss to Penrith.
With Anasta tipped to retire at the end of the year, Austin wants to show Tigers coach Mick Potter he can handle a playmaking role. “I’d like to be the No.6 for a long time to come,” Austin said at Tigers training yesterday. “I’ve got a lot to work on if that’s going to come true, but that’s my goal.
“If that (utility role) is the only spot for me this present time, then I’m more than happy to play my role. Obviously I have my own goals and aspirations of where I want to be in the team, but I’m enjoying playing first grade again.”
The Tigers, as a whole, appear to be a happy unit and have rebounded from a disastrous 2013 to be in the hunt for a top-eight finish this season. They are currently 10th on the NRL ladder, level with seven other sides on 20 points. With the competition so congested, Austin said every win was vital.
“I think the ladder is pretty honest and you’ll finish where you’re supposed to at the end of the year,” he said. “We’re by no means a complete footy side yet. There’s a lot of things we want to work on as a team to start moving to grind out 80-minute performances.”
