Aidan Sezer’s classy response following Raiders snubbing
Canberra halfback Aidan Sezer was dishearteningly told by Ricky Stuart the club had signed English star George Williams next season, so the Raiders playmaker responded in the classiest possible manner.
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“Let’s go win a comp, Sticky.”
This was Canberra halfback Aidan Sezer’s extraordinary self challenge after being told in July his position at the club was in jeopardy after the club signed English halfback George Williams.
Due to mounting speculation, Raiders coach Ricky ‘Sticky’ Stuart met Sezer over coffee in July to confirm he had secured Williams from Wigan for the next three seasons.
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While aware he could be squeezed from the club, Sezer refused to throw a tantrum and instead vowed to Stuart to win a premiership.
“I haven’t told anyone this before but I sat down with Aidan to tell him why we signed George Williams. It was a really open-hearted discussion,” Stuart told The Daily Telegraph.
“The rumour mill had been speculating and speculating so I grabbed him and we had a coffee.
“I put it (signing Williams) on the table and that’s all he wanted. That day, after our chat, he got up and said: “Let’s go win a comp, Sticky’. That was word for word.
“He also said: ‘Hey Stick, all I wanted was to hear it from you’.
“Aidan then said we should worry about it after the season. From that day, he has improved as an individual.
“He heard it from me and there was no more innuendo out there and he knew exactly where we’re at and what we’re doing. He has a wonderful attitude.”
Sezer has played the past three seasons under constant scrutiny yet know stands just 80 minutes from etching his name into Canberra folklore.
Ironically, the last Canberra halfback to win a grand final was Stuart, the pair having built up a robust friendship.
Stuart stressed Sezer had a contract with Canberra for next season and would work alongside Williams.
“I’m very happy having Aidan at the club. There is no innuendo about Aidan – he is at our club next season and I am very fortunate to have that depth in the halves,” Stuart said.
“Aidan and I have a really good, relationship. He is a very, very good halfback. The back half of this season has been his most influential of his time here at the club.
“We’ve had a couple of really honest chats and the thing about Aidan and I is that we know one-another really well and respect each other. We get on really well.
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“I like Aidan because he is very conscientious about his footy. He is hard on himself, too hard at times. Aidan copped a lot of blame during the tough periods over the last couple of years. He seems to cop the brunt of it all.
“I try and protect him from that because the halfback always cops it. I actually get that so I did try and protect him from a lot of that.
“Aidan has a lot of confidence going into this game and that is built purely on the form he has shown over the last half of the season. He has been a huge contributor towards our game.”
Originally published as Aidan Sezer’s classy response following Raiders snubbing