Both Sezer and Austin were pretty good in their first seasons in the UK, so there was always potential.

If that's true then it appears they were wanting it both ways
Don't offer a contract to see if get a replacement but if not we will give you one

And? Doesn’t mean he has to ask to leave, he was welcome to find a contract elsewhere and see this one out if he didn’t want to wait, like Sezer has

What response should the club have given on Sky? Leeming was already demoted to interchange hooker.

I wasn’t suggesting that the club should respond on sky I am merely pointing out that Austin wanted a new contract. As far as I am aware the club until Austin left hadn’t responded either for a new contract or letting him go. As for leeming it doesn’t matter if he was interchange hooker or first choice.
He left and wasn’t replaced thus putting pressure on Conner who is still learning his trade.

And Austin can want a contract all he like the club doesn’t have to A offer him one or B automatically offer him what he wants.

The deadline for signing for next year isn’t August the 4th (I’m sure some people on SM think that by the comments)

Smith was happy to give O’Connor and Johnson a go at 9, Leeming didn’t need to be replaced. People moan we don’t give youngsters a chance, and we have, and you still get people moaning.

If we had signed a 9 people would of moaned it’s stopping their development, especially Johnson’s.

We also had no quota spots available, which British 9 would you have signed to replace him?

Austin might be a prat but he didn't deserve to be messed about. by August he should have been told if he was wanted or not.
I'm sure some will think the club are entitled to do what they want, in their world they do nothing wrong, but players are entitled, at this stage, to get there futures sorted

Austin could have sorted his future out, he’s been totally free to talk or sign with another club for quite a while, he didn’t have to wait for Leeds to offer him what he wanted.

Maybe there wasn’t the interest he thought there was (hence the fev rumour)

Looking back there was reports of his agent ‘shopping him round’ to other clubs in June, as I say maybe he didn’t have any takers.

Only that Austin preferred to stay at leeds and hoped they would offer him a contract based on his willingness at the time to pledge his future to the Rhinos.
Due to us not being able to make a decision on his future he has childishly asked for a move.
If we wanted him to stay we could have refused his request as I`m sure Smith would have wanted.
Hetherington on the other hand thought he could save a few quid and agreed to him moving.
Most of us on here thought we would need to find at least 1 halfback possibly 2.
I`m sure GH thought the same and should by now have at least 1 half lined up and the other on the radar.

as I said leeds can no wrong in some people's eyes

It was reported we offered him a one year deal but he wanted two - don’t know if that’s true or not.

This is the Blake Austin that said he was happy with one year desls.

A completely normal transfer at a completely normally run club. Nothing to see here.

The club has got plenty wrong in the last few years, This Austin situation isn’t one of those IMO

Not sure why it has to be so binary.

I am out of the country so I was surprised at the move. However. Rhinos didn’t want him or they would have offered him a contract. I just hope we can use the next 8 games to develop sinfield. I don’t particularly want to see another big name signing at the expense of academy player development