Blake Austin

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He words the event well too...

I’VE read and heard a few different versions of something that happened on Sunday and I want to shed some light on it so the story doesn’t grow into something it wasn’t.

Yes, I gave a woman a lift to the game. She was a Raiders fan who I saw as I was driving and it was clear she was going to the ground too.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Every Canberra home game I have a routine of driving myself to the ground. It’s a little superstition of mine.

I always drop in to this one coffee shop and pass a particular bus stop on my way.

A few weeks ago, on my way to the Manly game, I noticed a couple of Raiders fans waiting for the bus.

I thought for a minute about stopping and offering them a lift to the game, but chickened out at the last minute.

I didn’t want them to think I was some random guy telling them to get into my car!

When I thought about it later I regretted driving past them and not stopping.

Anyway, on Sunday it happened again. As I drove past this bus stop I saw a woman sitting there dressed in Raiders gear.

She was obviously on her way to the game and this time I built up the courage to actually offer her a lift.

When I pulled over and called out she seemed a bit shocked. She peered through my car window and asked “are you Blake Austin?”.

When she realised who I was she was stoked to accept my offer.

The way I saw it we were two people heading to the same place. It was a cold day in Canberra and if I could help her out and make the trip a little quicker why wouldn’t I?

THE CAR TRIP

On our way to GIO Stadium we got chatting.

Her name was Jane, she was a diehard Raiders fan and, to be honest, I don’t think she could believe she was sitting in a car talking to one of the players.

I gave her some of the inside gossip, telling her little bits of information about all her favourite players and giving her a bit of an insight into the team she loves to follow.

She got a thrill out it.

But, to be honest, I didn’t think what I was doing was any big gesture.

I certainly never expected the story to get as much air time and print space as it has in the past couple of days.

To me, I was just doing what any decent human would.

Offering a lift to someone who is going to the same place as you shouldn’t be an anomaly.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...e/news-story/b6b769826cff0dcd8da60c4b45c28e2e
 
These sorts of stories need more light of day. I was having a yarn with Anthony Seibold's mum and dad last week about the origin game in Brisbane. They were sitting right behind the Qld bench and got some great footage on their phones. Anyway, they were saying that Qld had brought a lady in a wheelchair from palliative care, down to the sideline to watch the game as she is a massive fan.

After the game she got to meet all the players. Anthony's mum said the thing that surprised her the most was the way Sam Thaiday and Greg Inglis acted. Most players came over, said G'day, then grabbed their kids and went for a walk around waving to the crowd, but she reckons that Thaiday and Inglis stayed by her side for ages. They introduced their partners, their kids, asked her endless questions about herself, then finally...Sammy signed his jersey and gave it to her.

I don't know if this story hit the headlines or not. I refuse to read the papers and only stumble across articles online, or get them word of mouth as in this case, but it should have. This lady was awestruck. But not nearly as much as Sam Thaiday and Greg Inglis were.

Good on them!
 
He words the event well too...

I’VE read and heard a few different versions of something that happened on Sunday and I want to shed some light on it so the story doesn’t grow into something it wasn’t.

Yes, I gave a woman a lift to the game. She was a Raiders fan who I saw as I was driving and it was clear she was going to the ground too.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Every Canberra home game I have a routine of driving myself to the ground. It’s a little superstition of mine.

I always drop in to this one coffee shop and pass a particular bus stop on my way.

A few weeks ago, on my way to the Manly game, I noticed a couple of Raiders fans waiting for the bus.

I thought for a minute about stopping and offering them a lift to the game, but chickened out at the last minute.

I didn’t want them to think I was some random guy telling them to get into my car!

When I thought about it later I regretted driving past them and not stopping.

Anyway, on Sunday it happened again. As I drove past this bus stop I saw a woman sitting there dressed in Raiders gear.

She was obviously on her way to the game and this time I built up the courage to actually offer her a lift.

When I pulled over and called out she seemed a bit shocked. She peered through my car window and asked “are you Blake Austin?”.

When she realised who I was she was stoked to accept my offer.

The way I saw it we were two people heading to the same place. It was a cold day in Canberra and if I could help her out and make the trip a little quicker why wouldn’t I?

THE CAR TRIP

On our way to GIO Stadium we got chatting.

Her name was Jane, she was a diehard Raiders fan and, to be honest, I don’t think she could believe she was sitting in a car talking to one of the players.

I gave her some of the inside gossip, telling her little bits of information about all her favourite players and giving her a bit of an insight into the team she loves to follow.

She got a thrill out it.

But, to be honest, I didn’t think what I was doing was any big gesture.

I certainly never expected the story to get as much air time and print space as it has in the past couple of days.

To me, I was just doing what any decent human would.

Offering a lift to someone who is going to the same place as you shouldn’t be an anomaly.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...e/news-story/b6b769826cff0dcd8da60c4b45c28e2e
So she wasn't in a wheelchair ??? pfffffttt I think I prefer Billy Slaters story now.
 
So she wasn't in a wheelchair ??? pfffffttt I think I prefer Billy Slaters story now.

Yeah....I was going to mention that when the original post went up, but everyone was having such a good time with it...and it's been so long since everyone agreed on something that I thought I'd let it slip.

@:D
 
Yes, that's true. Everything about the bloke is good. I read this article about him at the start of the year. Seems a level headed top Aussie!

RAIDERS star Blake Austin has revealed how winning a Footy Show competition helped his family out of housing commission when he was a youngster.

Austin grew up living in housing commission residences in the western Sydney suburb of Doonside.

His parents were unable to afford a deposit on their own house, until their nine-year-old son discovered a pot of gold.

Austin won Channel Nine’s The Footy Show segment “league of their own”, for which the prize was a brand new Holden Jackaroo.

This stroke of luck led to his family buying their first home.

“We lived in housing commission until I was 12,” Austin told The Locker Room podcast.

“I didn’t have a rough upbringing. I had great parents. They didn’t have much money but no money was spared for sport.

“I actually won a car on The Footy Show at nine (years old).

“It was a Holden Jackaroo and mum and dad sold that and we got out of housing commission and they bought a house in Mount Druitt.

“Mum and dad would never have come across the cash for a house deposit — (selling the car) that allowed us (to buy a house).

“It definitely wasn’t a flash house in Mount Druitt but being Aussie parents it was definitely one of their goals to own a house and we were able to do that.”

Austin has never forgotten his Doonside roots, and continues to work with junior rugby league players from the area.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...d/news-story/037d76fb1d60099a0033b080482d2753
Stories like this and the subject of the thread only reinforce what a fine young man he is and the great job his parents did instilling these values in him.

I love the way he plays the game and hope he has a great career.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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