Leeds Rhinos halfback Blake Austin has paid homage to Rob Burrow and the city of Leeds after a brilliant evening on Friday in West Yorkshire.
Although the Rhinos blew Huddersfield Giants off the pack with their 54-0 victory, the night belonged to the Burrow family. Rob's children, Maya, Macy and Jackson, all played a huge part in the pre-match build-up, with Rob himself being the guest of honour on an emotionally charged evening at Headingley Stadium.
Receiving the Man of the Match award for his efforts, Austin was honoured to take the accolade from the special family. Highlighting what Rob means to the club and area, the Australian didn't hold back his strong feelings towards his adopted city and the man who is the heartbeat of the place.
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"He (Burrow) means so much to this club," said Austin. "We had that marathon six weeks ago, and that was one of the most special events I'd been a part of. We got to hand out medals at the end of the race, and we got to see Leeds in all its glory. I'm chuffed to get this award tonight."
On the match itself, the enigma that is the Rhinos was on show again as they went against the grain to dismantle a poor Giants outfit. One swallow doesn't make a summer, and Austin reiterated the key buzzword Leeds need to make a playoff push in 2023.
"They can be tough these matches, probably good. We came off two bad performance. We sucked out words and responded really well tonight. We hid away from the world, and it's the story of our season. When we are good, we are good. When we are bad, we're not so good. We know what we've got here, and we need more consistency.
"I'm a pretty confident guy, and I like to have a crack whenever I can. When I start aggressive, things come off the back of it. I thought I did that tonight."
