http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...b/news-story/9fbcecb0d407a2e7f9338597936ac700
Sam Williams to rescue Raiders then out the door to rival club
MATT LOGUE, The Sunday Telegraph
28 minutes ago
SAM Williams could go from Canberra’s saviour to a new club in the space of just four weeks.
Williams has stepped up to lead the Raiders’ charge towards the finals in the absence of Blake Austin, who is sidelined with a broken hand.
But with Austin expected to return for the second week of the finals, the Cooma-born halfback faces the prospect of just two more games in the lime green before potentially linking with a rival club.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Williams is seriously weighing up signing with Parramatta on a multi-year deal.
He already has a one-year offer on the table from Canberra, but he is excited by the lure of playing consistent first grade at the Eels.
This is especially a motivation when he is behind current starting halves Austin and Aidan Sezer in coach Ricky Stuart’s pecking order.
Raiders CEO Don Furner confirmed the club had tabled Williams an offer, but stressed they wouldn’t hold it against him if he decided to leave the nation’s capital to further his career.
“We have made an offer to Sam, but we understand that he is obviously looking after his best intentions as well,” Furner said.
“Certainly we’d love to keep him, but we’ll just see how it pans out.”
Williams will play a crucial role for Canberra in the next fortnight before Austin returns from his broken hand.
This starts with a big final round clash against a desperate Wests Tigers outfit at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.
Regardless of the result against the Tigers, the Raiders are guaranteed to finish in the top three for the first time since 2003.
This means Williams will play in Canberra’s opening finals match, before moving aside to make way for Austin the following week.
The former Country Origin representative is expected to make a decision on his future once his involvement with the Raiders this season is completed.
Williams may not be one of Canberra’s big-name players, but Furner said he certainly wasn’t undervalued by his teammates.
“Sam has led us around before and he has got a really cool head,” he said.
“He is very, very good and we are lucky to have him.”
