Blake Austin has revealed he walked away from a lucrative contract extension at Canberra in 2018 because he wasn't happy, instead opting for a far less rewarding deal at Parramatta before fate took him in a completely different direction towards what he now calls the most fulfilling chapter of his career in the English Super League.
Once a marquee player at the Raiders, Austin stunned many by turning down a two-year offer worth significantly more than anything else on the table.
At the time, he didn't explain the decision publicly, but has now shed light on the mental toll and personal dissatisfaction that prompted him to walk away.
“I knocked back an extension,” Austin said, speaking with Fox.
“I got offered a two-year extension to stick around on money that was really good money, a lot more money than I was going to get anywhere else at that point.
"I know in myself, I couldn't take it. People will say this is bullcrap, but I wasn't happy. I wasn't coming home happy and I felt like I needed a change.”
He admitted he considered a smaller deal with Parramatta, simply to reset himself and rediscover the hunger that once drove him.
Despite having fought his way to the top tier, Austin said he never truly felt comfortable there.
“I was someone that was never really comfortable with being at the top. I never really sort of thought I deserved to be there. I wasn't great at staying at the top. I was really good at getting there and proving people wrong,” he said.
As he weighed up a return to Sydney, a surprise offer from Warrington changed everything.
Austin, who had only recently told his agent he was too young for a stint in England, ended up accepting the deal and never looked back.
“But then as it panned out, Warrington came in. I'd swore to my agent only a couple of months before that I was way too young for England and I wasn't going to be going there,” he said.
“I absolutely loved my time there and I'm grateful for Warrington and Leeds, the two clubs that I played for.”
Looking back, Austin said he made peace with the Raiders' success after his departure - even their controversial loss to the Roosters in the 2019 Grand Final.
“You know what? I expected to feel a little bit bitter, but I had so many good friends there that I just wanted them to have success,” he said.
“They were robbed. I don't care what anyone says. The six-again call definitely cost them and we shouted for them.”
Austin credited his wife for backing his unconventional decision to leave money on the table in favour of happiness.
“To my wife's credit, she gave me the okay to make a terrible financial decision to make sure I'm happy,” he said.
“But as it pans out, I believe that if you do things true to yourself, things work out for you and I probably went to Warrington on a contract that put me in a better financial position.”
Reflecting on a 10-year career across the NRL and Super League, Austin says the move many questioned at the time was the one that helped him rediscover his love for the game, and himself.
