Aidan Sezer has been robbed of the chance to face his former club as a persisting groin injury has kept him on the sidelines for a second straight game. But ahead of Leeds Rhinos' clash with Huddersfield Giants, the halfback has shed light on his move across West Yorkshire for the first time.
Sezer became Huddersfield Giants' first marquee signing when he arrived at the club in 2020, but after two years was on his way to Headingley. His time at the club was hampered by the disruption caused by Covid, which hindered his time on the field.
A serious injury picked up last year cut his season short and by July, Sezer had put pen to paper on a deal with the Rhinos.
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Rumours began to swirl of a breakdown in the relationship between head coach Ian Watson and Sezer, who was captain of the club at the time. Sezer admitted that the pair didn't always agree on things, but insisted their relationship was typical between a coach and a captain.
"I think when Watto came in he had his own ideas like any strong head coach does and to be honest, I enjoyed working with him," Sezer said. "He's a great coach with a massive future and you can see why the team is going so well as he's built what he wanted.
"As captain of the club you're going to have things you disagree on and other things you tend to agree on. But there's no animosity from my side. I was captain of the club, I was the marquee player and I felt I had some responsibility and I had to live up to that tag if that makes sense.
"I think there was a little bit written that was foreign to me. There were a few comments there from Watto but he's entitled to his opinion and I need to respect that as a player. It is what it is. I felt I was moving to a bigger club, if I'm entirely honest. Coming from Australia you're always watching Leeds Rhinos, St Helens and Wigan Warriors, they're the teams you want to come over and play for and I'm happy I made that move.
"The only thing I was disappointed with was when I signed for Leeds I was injured and I'd just had surgery. The person running the club shook my hand and said all the best, then a few weeks later there were comments in the media which didn't sit well with me. If people want to play things out in papers rather than in person then that's their prerogative and their decision. I just want to crack on rather than playing things out publicly.
"But there's no animosity there, I enjoyed my time at the club, there are some great people within those four walls and the fans were good to me as well. I wish them all the best, other than this week."
Sezer went on to provide an injury update after being ruled out of the match on Thursday, revealing he hasn't been fully fit since the opening round clash with Warrington Wolves.
"I've been carrying it for an extended period. It's been ongoing since early on in the year, probably Warrington in round one was the only game I've felt 100 per cent confident in my body.
"I've been compromised and not helping the team. I've got to get my body right and playing footy how I can, I guess that's across the board a little bit with Harry Newman, David Fusitu'a and Richie Myler too.
"It's a running injury really, you feel it more on a kick chase or lateral movements and you do a lot of that as a half or a three-man. It's been super frustrating for me because I want to perform as I can but I'm not going to do that at 70 per cent physical capacity.
"It is improving, but playing busted hasn't helped me."
