Today was all about new beginnings for Leeds at Headingley.
The Rhinos gave debuts to three new signings as well as awarding some young stars with some minutes to help their development.
Two players fans were eager to see were of course new signing Aidan Sezer and 17-year-old Jack Sinfield who of course is the son of Leeds legend Kevin.
The pair both had a memorable day as Leeds won 34-6 and have since spoken to the club website about their first experience in a Rhinos shirt in front of a packed Headingley.
Sezer started the game and crossed for Leeds’ opening try. He converted it too and notched a further two goals in the second half before an ankle injury helped end his afternoon.
Coming into the game on the back of a long term injury which ended his 2021 season around the halfway mark, it was cause for concern but he assured fans that everything was okay: “Yeah all fine, it’s probably just a bit of fear in me because obviously it’s my first game back after my injury and it was just a bit precautionary.”
James Bentley also came off with a sore achilles but coach Richard Agar stated neither were causes for concern.
Sezer also spoke about how much he enjoyed the game and the atmosphere: “We got what we needed to out of the game. We know we’re working on a lot of combinations and it’s always tough to replicate the conditions at training so it’s good to get out there and for the new boys to play in front of the south stand. We had a strong crowd here at Headingley and it’s what you hear about before you come here and I think today lived up to the billing.”
New signing Aidan Sezer said he was fine after coming off in the second half of the Boxing Day win over Wakefield and says he enjoyed his first game as a Rhino at Headingley
➡ More https://t.co/mwyegm9OUL pic.twitter.com/wN6zQJtfb2— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) December 26, 2021
His substitution prompted by the injury led to the introduction of Jack Sinfield who was instantly involved in Tom Briscoe’s try before converting it and Harry Newman’s second score later.
Having fulfilled a childhood dream following in the footsteps of his dad, Sinfield told the club website how much the experience meant to him: “I loved it, it went really quick, it felt like two minutes but I loved it. I was really nervous but excited at the same time, it was good to get out there.
“It was a great experience to feel like what it’s like on a game day and get used to it.”
He also explained how it felt when he nailed his first conversion: “I was a bit nervous about it but it went over.”
Meanwhile, he also gave his reaction to the huge ovation he received when entering the field: “It gave me goose bumps really, it was a dream come true.”
We caught up with Jack Sinfield after his first senior appearance in the win over Wakefield on Boxing Day ➡️ Watch in full https://t.co/9dbap9qkeH pic.twitter.com/89Ry96ug8l
— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) December 26, 2021
