Blake Austin admitted his long bid to get a release from the Wests Tigers had been a frustrating "roller coaster", but the 23-year-old is confident he can find stability in Canberra's No.6 jersey.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Austin visited Raiders headquarters on Wednesday, just a day after signing a three-year deal with the club, declaring he's ready "to battle" and prove himself as a genuine NRL five-eighth.
After weeks of negotiations, the Tigers finally granted Austin a release from the final year of his contract.
"It was a bit of a roller coaster," Austin said of the release process, admitting he hadn't spoken to new Tigers coach Jason Taylor. "I was ready to move fairly early in the piece when we first started talking to the Raiders. You mentally prepare yourself for the move and then you find out you might not be going and you have to stick around. Then a few weeks later it changed again. It was a little bit frustrating.
"I was after a little bit of clarity about what position I'd be playing. There'd been some talk that they might be turning me into a centre or using me as a utility. Ricky [Stuart] probably saw me more as a five-eighth and that's what was appealing."
Austin has played only 11 of his 34 NRL matches at No.6, but says he's gained confidence from his breakout year at the Tigers in 2014.
Austin admitted his career was at a crossroad when he took a pay cut and left Penrith after 15 games in three NRL seasons. He played 19 matches for the Tigers last season, but in five different positions.
Austin acknowledged he would face competition to earn a starting spot. While skipper Terry Campese is on the outer, the Raiders also have Mitch Cornish, Sam Williams, Josh McCrone and Jack Wighton capable of filling roles in the halves.
"I know I'm not coming down and walking into a position, but I'm there to battle for a No.6 jersey and I'll be working hard for that," Austin said.
"I've been around first grade a little while now and I don't think I've backed myself enough. I think I've been moved around a bit because I haven't known what position I am myself.
"I feel like the last 12-18 months I've come a long way as a five-eighth and I've still got plenty of improvement in me. I'm ready to nail down a position and keep improving as a player."
