Titans' $500 man Aidan Sezer bound for NRL glory, says recruitment guru

THE recruitment guru who signed Newcastle's Johns brothers says Titans rookie Aidan Sezer will become a 10-year NRL star, revealing he signed him for only $500.

THE recruitment guru who signed Newcastle's Johns brothers, Andrew and Matthew, says Titans rookie Aidan Sezer will become a 10-year NRL star after revealing that he signed the five-eighth wonderboy for only $500.

Leading NRL scout Keith Onslow, the Knights development officer who snared the Johns boys in his loungeroom 20 years ago, believes Sezer is the latest playmaker headed for stardom after his superb entry to the NRL.

The 94kg Sezer faces the biggest test of his career tonight at Skilled Park when the Titans pivot squares off against Cowboys superstar Johnathan Thurston in just his sixth first-grade game.

It is the ultimate master versus apprentice showdown.

Sezer, the son of an Aboriginal mother and Turkish father, turns 21 this month and is on a Titans contract worth about $80,000.

Thurston, a two-time Dally M winner, is Australia's and Queensland's pre-eminent five-eighth earning $700,000 a season.

But Onslow is adamant Sezer will relish his scrumbase duel with Thurston, recalling the moment he signed the Canterbury-Bankstown junior after he arrived at Belmore as part of a development squad.

"When he was 15 I signed him to a five-year deal. The minute I saw him I thought this kid should be at the club for good," Onslow said. "It's great to see Aidan kicking on at the Titans because I always thought he could make it.

"He reminds me a lot of Scott Hill (former Storm, NSW and Australia pivot) with the way he carries the footy, he's very strong and has a beautiful short-passing game.

"He is only six games into his NRL career but I have no doubt he can be there for a decade. Aidan is very driven, very self-confident and he will squeeze every ounce of ability out of his body.

"I have no doubt he will handle Thurston. Aidan is a footy intelligent kid, he'll be watching JT on the field and seeing what he can actually learn.

"He'll be the first bloke to get the DVD after the game and say what can I learn from this bloke.

"As a teenager he was one of the best runners of the football I had seen."

Having recovered from a knee reconstruction at former club Canterbury, Sezer made his NRL debut in round 7 against Manly and showed immediate class in the Titans' 26-14 boilover.

The Titans have struggled to find a viable successor for Mat Rogers in the No.6 jumper, but former Gold Coast and Queensland utility Ben Ikin believes Sezer is the answer.

"He looks the goods," Ikin said. "I watched him in a few Queensland Cup games when he was playing for Burleigh and he played with plenty of time which is a good sign.

"I would agree that he can be a long-term NRL player. Aidan has a good balance between his running and his passing game, I think it's a great pick-up by John Cartwright (Titans coach).

"I thought Jordan Rankin looked good at six but he doesn't look as natural at five-eighth as Aidan.

"The more games he can play the better he will get."