Wests Tigers halfback Aidan Sezer will use the pain of sitting out this year's Indigenous Round as motivation in his bid to ensure it's not his last in the NRL.
The 32-year-old is in the third week of a four-game suspension for a dangerous tackle in his side's Round 9 loss to the Bulldogs.
While the prospect of missing games was a difficult pill to swallow, it was the realisation the proud Indigenous man would be sitting out this weekend that hit Sezer hardest.
"At the start of the year you look at this fixture and you see what it means to the community, to our culture," Sezer told pan66.com. "Rugby league is synonymous in Indigenous culture for us and in our community.
"I'm disappointed I can't put on the jersey and play this round to see our culture celebrated.
"With the importance of the round, the fixture only comes around annually so to not be part of it, I'm disappointed. I was disappointed I missed the last couple of games as well, but this week is even more special."
Match: Cowboys v Wests Tigers
Round 12 -
home Team
Cowboys
8th Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
16th Position
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
This weekend's Indigenous Round was set to be Sezer's first since 2018 after he spent the past four seasons playing in the English Super League.
The suspension has provided the opportunity for boom rookie Lachlan Galvin and off-season recruit Jayden Sullivan to solidify their places in the Wests Tigers halves.
While the side has struggled in recent weeks, the duo have a bright future and will make Sezer's effort to return to the starting side a difficult one.
Aidan Sezer looking good in a Wests Tigers strip
The playmaker has a mutual option for 2025 and with Jarome Luai joining the Wests Tigers next year, there is no guarantee Sezer will remain with the club beyond this season.
The veteran recognises he is rapidly approaching the end of his career, but hopes to have at least one more season, and one more Indigenous Round, left in him.
"Hopefully god willing I do [have one more]," Sezer said. "I'm getting old now, hopefully I can put on another jersey in the future and be part of this round."
While he won't feature in the Wests Tigers clash with North Queensland on Friday night, Sezer was on hand for the NRL's official Indigenous Round launch on Wednesday morning and he's eager to help the event grow each year.
The NRL used the launch to announce a two-year partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health's Deadly Choices program.
With current and former NRL and NRLW players acting as ambassadors, the preventative health initiative aims to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make healthy choices by eating nutritious food, being physically active, quitting smoking and vaping, and having their 715 health checks.
Gold Coast Titans star and Deadly Choices ambassador Shaylee Bent said the program has had a significant impact on her community.
"They get out to community, they encourage us mob to make healthier decisions, encourage us to get our 715 health checks," Bent said.
"I know when I was growing up, I didn't even know what a 715 was. I'm very grateful for Deadly Choices and their partnership with the NRL."
Having spent the past four years in the UK, Sezer has been impressed with the growth of Indigenous Round throughout his time away.
The event has grown to encompass initiatives on and off the field, with the NRL making a genuine commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Now he's back home, Sezer is eager to use rugby league to help further the cause.
"You see from the turn out today how much importance it has in our game," he said. "To keep it growing it's about more people getting educated around Indigenous culture in this country.
"If you see the way they do it in New Zealand with Maori culture, it should be the same here with Indigenous culture, the traditional custodians of the land.
"To get exposure like this, especially with rugby league is very important for the community as a whole."
