Blake Austin reaffirms desire to stay at Leeds Rhinos but claims he is in dark over future

The Australian half-back, who is out of contract at the end of the season, hit top form in June to inspire the Rhinos to crucial back-to-back wins over Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves.

After the victory at Warrington, Rhinos boss Rohan Smith stressed that the club were still committed to striking a deal with the playmaker but admitted "there are lots of pieces to the puzzle that have to fit".

Austin claims that he has not spoken to Smith about his future face-to-face.

"From my end, I learn my prospects about staying at the club from Rohan's press conferences," he told Sky Sports.

"The last I heard was I'm in his thoughts. Hopefully I can keep playing well and stay in his thoughts.

"My preference has always been to stay at Leeds. I played in a Grand Final here last year and feel like my form has been pretty steady this year.

"I'd love to keep turning out in front of the South Stand for a little bit longer, for sure."

Austin has made 39 appearances in his 18 months as a Leeds player, scoring five tries.

When asked whether he had given the club a timeframe for a decision, Austin replied: "I haven't had any indication from the club on their preference.

"I've made it clear that this is where I want to be and this is where I want to play.

"I understand my agent and things like that but when you're playing well you just want to knock something off and continue with your footy. Hopefully we can do that soon."