BLAKE Austin is wary of a ‘thinker’ dishing out what would be heartache for a second year if he doesn’t get to play at Wembley in 2020.

An ankle ligament injury left the match-winning stand-off on the sidelines when The Wire defeated St Helens in last year’s Challenge Cup Final.

Now firing in a fully fit Wire squad, the Australian is excited at the prospect of a return but knows only too well there is a big hurdle in front of him in Saturday’s semi-final against Salford Red Devils.

“I don’t think I’ve beaten Salford since I’ve got over here so it’s certainly not a team I’ll be taking lightly,” said the former Canberra Raiders star.

“You can tell from the outside looking in that their coach Ian Watson is a thinker and I got to spend a Great Britain tour with him (assistant coach).

“He’s a thinker, he loves his rugby league. He’s going to have them primed and ready to go.

“They’ve got Kevin Brown there. Obviously he’s getting on in age but he thinks really fast between the ears and he’s going to be the focal point of their attack.

“We know what’s coming. It’s going to be a big challenge but we’re very confident in the style of footy we’re playing at the moment that we can get the job done.

“The road to Wembley is a big thing in our sport in this country.

“I got to sit back in the stands at Wembley last year, and what a game to enjoy as a fan. But as a professional athlete it was certainly a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth to have to sit back and watch.

“So the opportunity to go back to Wembley and play in a Challenge Cup Final is something that I really want to do.

“All the boys that have grown up in this country speak of their earliest memories of watching Challenge Cup finals on TV and watching their heroes run around so it’s certainly a game I want to be involved in.”