Canberra will not let halfback Aidan Sezer walk away for now

The Raiders have no intention of letting halfback Aidan Sezer leave the club as the 27-year old prepares for a return to first grade.

The Canberra Raiders have put the ‘not for sale’ sign up on Aidan Sezer.

Sezer is contracted at the club until the end of 2020 but his inability to crack a spot in Ricky Stuart’s starting side over recent weeks means his playing future has been the target of constant speculation.

The Daily Telegraph understands the Raiders have no intention of moving the playmaker on, for now.

Stuart rates Sezer and still sees him as a valuable asset to the side.

It’s understood both parties will reassess the situation in the coming weeks with the June 30 dead line fast approaching.

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Sezer has spent several weeks in reserve grade. Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images.

Sezer was sidelined for four weeks after suffering a stomach injury against Melbourne in round two and made his return last month via the Canterbury Cup, where has played four games for the Mounties.

Canberra’s winning start to the season has extended Sezer’s time in reserve grade with Stuart unwilling to make any changes to his side.

But ravaged with injury and players on Origin duty, Stuart has recalled Sezer for this weekend’s game against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

The 27-year old told The Daily Telegraph he wants to see out the remainder of deal at the Raiders.

“From my end I’m pretty happy here. If the club has different plans for me then I have to just wait to see what happens. I need to keep working hard and do what a professional player is contracted to do,” Sezer said.

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“The boys have been getting some good results and I just have to bide my time. That’s just the way it works sometimes. You aren’t promised a jersey at this level.”

While Sezer said isn’t currently entertaining an early release he refused to rule it out as a possibility completely.

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when it comes, I have to work hard and play well on the weekend and see where that leaves me. Anything can happen, it’s still relatively early in the year. I have been around long enough to know how the game works, things can change at a flick of a switch,” he said.

Sezer also told The Daily Telegraph the month of Ramadan has helped him find the mental strength to deal with what has been a difficult time. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.

Sezer has played two NRL games this year. AAP Image/Lukas Coch.

“It has been a tough period for myself and football, Ramadan has kept me grounded, it’s kept me in a positive head space. It has really helped me, that and my wife, she has been there for me. There are things in life that are important but religion comes in at number one for me,” he said.

Raiders coaching staff have tailored a program to help Sezer manage his fasting with training.

“Our weights coach sends me home when we do weights, he says not to do it on an empty stomach. I just do it at night after iftar [break of fast], I go to the gym and do my work then. I also try to hit the protein and the carbs. I make sure I drink plenty of water to keep me going throughout the day,” he said.

Despite being three weeks into Ramadan, Sezer has not only maintained his body weight but added to his frame.

“I’ve put on weight, I reckon I have put on a couple of kilos. I like to be around 90 kilograms but I’m about 92 at the moment,” he said.