On Thursday night Leeds Rhinos will take on Huddersfield Giants in Rivals Round but the man the fixture arguably means the most to in the Leeds squad won’t feature.
It was revealed today that Leeds’ scrumhalf Aidan Sezer will again miss the game due to a groin injury which also kept him out of the defeat to St Helens.
That means he’ll have to wait until Leeds go to the John Smith’s Stadium until he can take on his former side since swapping Huddersfield for Leeds going into the 2022 season.
Sezer was one of four major signings made by Leeds as they appeared set for a huge campaign but for one reason or another, things have stalled for the Rhinos losing seven of their eight league and cup games.
This means Thursday’s game has added significance as the Rhinos look to turn things around. Sezer was keen to be a part of the team to try and do so, but will not feature due to injury but as his new teammates prepare to take on his former club, Sezer has reflected on his time as a Giant.
“I enjoyed my time there,” Sezer told Serious About Rugby League, “Great bunch of boys there and great people at the club. They were really welcoming when I showed up from Australia.
“As for an individual moment, probably beating Saints at St Helens. Especially from where the boys had come from. They nearly got relegated in 2019 and we won our first three in 2020, lost against Wigan and turned up and beat Saints over there and they’re powerhouses as everyone knows. That was one of my favourite games there but I enjoyed my whole time there.”
That game came at the start of 2020 as the Giants stunned St Helens away with a 12-10 victory on the back of some amazing defence. That performance and plenty of others for Huddersfield in 2020 saw Sezer nominated for the Man of Steel that season as he became a fan favourite at the club.
Now, at Leeds thought Sezer explained if there are any differences between being at the two clubs: “It’s business as usual [being at Leeds]. You just try to be the best version of yourself.
“Leeds is a massive club and you can see that with the crowd that turns up every week. They’re really passionate about their club and want performances and results and we haven’t been doing that of late but hopefully we can turn it around.”
