Rohan Smith paid tribute to practising Muslims Nene Macdonald and Aidan Sezer following Leeds Rhinos’ stunning win over Catalans Dragons on Saturday. Papua New Guinea international Macdonald and Australian half-back Sezer played key roles as Leeds come from 22-8 down at the break to win 32-22.
Macdonald played the game while fasting during Ramadan, with Smith praising them during his post-match address in the changing room. The Rhinos’ ‘Behind the Game’ footage posted on their social media channels shows Smith hailing his team after their famous win before singling out Macdonald and Sezer.
“There’s a lot of belief, that’s how to play,” said the Leeds head coach. “Don’t worry about the scoreboard, it will take care of itself. Well done, it was a really good game. I don’t know if anyone has done any fasting but when you’re first getting started – particularly when you’re trying to compete – obviously Nene and Sezer are doing some of that to be the people that they are.
