EXTROVERT WINTER 2017

the reserves while back in Australia and
the NRL. The new contract he signed
seemed to confirm that, why would a
player sign a deal such as the one he
did if they weren’t satisfied with their
current situation? The Rhinos and Super
League looked to suit him, and with the
ability he possesses, he certainly has the
potential to take the competition by storm.
When the season had finished,
Segeyaro returned to Australia where he
would enjoy an extended break before
coming back to Leeds for pre-season
training in early January. But during that
time, things started to change. Rumours
emerged that Segeyaro was not happy
in the UK and was seeking an early
release from his new deal in order to
stay ‘down under’ on a permanent basis.
This seemed strange after he had just
committed himself to Leeds, but when
it comes to a player such as Segeyaro,
who is so highly rated across rugby
league, there is no smoke without fire.
The speculation continued to circulate
about his future, so much so that the
Rhinos were forced to go against their
usual policy of commenting on player
transfers. In a statement, their CEO
Gary Hetherington said that he had met
with Segeyaro in Sydney and that the
player had confirmed he would
be at Leeds in 2017 and was
“looking forward to it’’. He
also said the West Yorkshire
side were “not prepared to
consider a transfer or release’’.
This calmed the talk of
Segeyaro’s move, possibly
to NRL Premiers Cronulla
Sharks, for a short while
but it quickly picked
back up when he gave
an interview to the
Australian Sunday
Telegraph. In the
interview, the 2014 Dally
M medal winner said: “This isn’t about
rugby league. It’s about happiness”. He
claimed that during the 2 and half months
he was in the UK he was “unhappy,
lonely and struggling to settle into the
English culture and way of life”. This was
a huge setback for Leeds and their hopes
of retaining their star player as now it
was not only a matter of fighting off bids
for him, but they also had to convince
him that he was in the right place.
“
This isn’t about Rugby
League . This is about
happiness
”
Now the Rhinos had a dilemma.
Do they fight to keep him and hope
he comes to terms with life in Leeds?
Or should they let him go as there is
a risk he would not be at his best as he
wouldn’t be ‘all there’ should he stay
for 2017 and beyond? By now, the
chances of Segeyaro pulling on the blue
and amber kit again were very slim.
The whole fiasco didn’t go down well
some fans. Segeyaro’s loyalties were
questioned and some said he had shown a
lack of respect to the club who had given
him a way out of his Penrith nightmare not
long before, but when it comes to his state
of mind and how remaining at Leeds
could affect him, his decision to want
to leave can’t be held against him.
Despite all of the reported interest
in Segeyaro and his apparent desire
to part ways with Leeds, he
is obviously not able to
negotiate with other
parties as long he is on
the books at Headingley.
And he understands
that, stating: “I
haven’t
spoken to any other clubs nor have
I signed with anyone. How can I
anyway? I need to sort out this matter”.
Unfortunately for Segeyaro, though,
it comes at a time where overseas
players dishonouring their contracts has
become a regular occurrence, with Chris
Sandow, who walked out on Warrington
Wolves, and Denny Solomona, who
claims he ‘retired’ from rugby league
in an attempt to finalise his cross-code
transfer to Sale Sharks. Segeyaro has
been tied in with those players, and
although his reasoning behind leaving
is much more understandable, it is the
timing of it all that doesn’t help his cause.
Even if he does come back, any
relationships he had built up with
coaches, teammates and fans may not be
quite as strong as they were previously
after everything that has been said. Leeds
coach Brian McDermott has declared his
disappointment in the comments Segeyaro
has made, and also spoke of how some
of his backroom staff, who did so much
to help to make the initial move from
Australia happen as smoothly as possible,
had been left hurt by how their efforts had
been almost totally ignored. Of course, if
he performs on the field and helps Leeds
to become the force they were once again,
then all of this will probably be forgotten,
but he will have some making up to do
with a number of people connected to
the 7-time Super League champions.
Segeyaro is still in Australia on his break,
but as it stands he will still be a Rhinos
player when the 2017 campaign comes
around, even if he doesn’t necessarily
want to be. Gary Hetherington has
reiterated that we will see the 26-year old
playing his rugby in the
Northern hemisphere,
but with the pace that
this story is moving at,
that could soon change again.
Picture: steveridingpics
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