This is the seventh instalment of 2017 in review. As usual in the off-season, we are reviewing all 25 players who pulled on a green jersey in first grade in 2017. So far, we've looked at Jack Wighton, Nick Cotric, Jarrod Croker, Joey Leilua, Jordan Rapana and Blake Austin.
Aidan Sezer joined the Raiders in 2016 from the Gold Coast Titans - and many Raiders fans felt that he was exactly the sort of organisational halfback that the Green Machine needed. His first year was a tough one - interrupted by injury - but he played every match of 2017. However, for one reason or another, he's not really been the dominant play maker in Canberra that he was at the Gold Coast.
The Raiders' spine has some very good players. Blake Austin was five eighth of the year in 2015. Hooker Josh Hodgson was in the top five players in the NRL in 2016. Yet the spine has not gelled well in the last couple of years. Hodgson, in particular, is a dominant hooker forward - and this year both halves publicly called for more quality, early ball from dummy half. This year, Blake Austin took on more of the organisational duties as well. How Ricky Stuart resolves this in the off season will critical to determining how the Raiders fare in 2018.
In attack, Sezer ranked outside the top ten halfbacks for total try involvements - which is probably the statistic that is best to focus upon. The Fox Sports Lab statistics have Sezer with 22 try assists - which is certainly amongst the top 10 halfbacks - but just one last touch assist, four tries, and six try contributions. Those stats are a bit of a puzzle... but the total try involvements probably gives the best overall indication.
The Raiders' halves had relatively low involvements in 2016 too, but the team finished No. 1 in attack. My thesis last year was that the halves were doing what they needed to: get the ball to the strike players out wide. The team’s attack still ranked third in 2017, but it regressed. What this season has shown is that things come unstuck if the forwards don't provide momentum and the strike players are out of form or contained by the opposition's tactics.
Clearly the play makers need to improve their combinations and their level of creativity. But we shouldn't be too critical either. As Ricky Stuart pointed out at least once this year... the play makers at at the centre of everything, but if other players in the team are not doing their job, they can't do theirs. And if the Raiders forwards consistently lay the platform, that will go a long way to lifting the impact of the halves.
Sezer's kicking metres per match were low compared with his half back peers. But the short kicking was perhaps the greater issue. Aidan Sezer forced just six line drop outs in 2017, Blake Austin eight. The Raiders forced only 22 line drop outs, the equal lowest in the league. Mitchell Moses forced 22 himself. In addition, the Raiders did not kick a field goal in 2017 - but lost three matches in golden point. Amazingly, Sezer only had one field goal attempt this year. Add repeat sets and field goals to the list of things that need addressing in the off season.
In defence, Sezer produced a tackle efficiency rate of 78 per cent... the top regular half had a rate in the high 80s. He missed 68 tackles... but at least he was well below the mark set by Mitchell Moses (92)! That translated into 12 try causes. He’d want to improve on that, though it’s not the worst record. The Titans' Ash Taylor had 18. Sezer's discipline was good, with relatively low errors and penalties conceded.
Aidan Sezer's best performance of the year came in the Round 19 golden point victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons. In the 60th minute, with the Dragons on the attack in the red zone, Sezer intercepted a pass and he ran 90 metres to score under the posts. The defenders were coming from everywhere, but he could not be caught. It not only produced a try, it probably saved a try.
Then in the 83rd minute, with the Dragons having the better of territory in golden point, Aidan Sezer produced his first 40/20 kick of the season. It was more like a 30/10... and it set the Raiders up for Elliott Whitehead's golden try. He ended the match with one try, 153 metres from eight runs, 15 tackles, one 40/20 kick and 161 kicking metres. We know what Aidan can deliver at his best. It will make a huge difference to the team to see it more consistently in 2018.
How did you rate Aidan Sezer's 2017? Tell us below.
Aidan Sezer's 2017: 6/10
2017 Statistics: (Stats from Fox Sports Lab)
Games: 24
Average minutes: 79.7
Points: 40
Tries: 4
Try assists: 22
Try contributions: 6
Total try involvements: 32
Total kicks: 146
Kick metres: 3676m
Average kick metres per match: 153m
40/20’s: 2
Forced drop outs: 6
Kicks dead: 7
Kick errors: 6
Total runs: 90
All run metres: 919
Average metres per carry: 10.2m
Average metres per game: 38m
Tackle breaks: 34
Offloads: 13
Line breaks: 5
Line break assists: 15
Tackles: 268
Average tackles per game: 11.2
1 on 1 tackles: 40
Missed tackles: 68
Average missed tackles per game: 2.8
Tackle efficiency: 76 per cent
Try causes: 12
Errors: 24
Penalties conceded: 6
