Raiders recruit Aidan Sezer is refusing to buy into any expectations surrounding his first season in the nation's capital.
Seen as Canberra's headline signing alongside English international Elliot Whitehead for season 2016, Sezer is keeping himself grounded.
The 24-year-old knows that Ricky Stuart's squad is a good one, but it will count for nothing if the team doesn't perform on the field.
"You can't put any markers down or anything like that. I don't want to sound too cliché but you just can't, anything can happen," Sezer told NRL.com.
"I was at the Gold Coast for a few years and there were times where we would be travelling along alright and then we'd get five injuries and our season would go by the wayside. You just have to take each game as it comes and you honestly do.
"Look at the teams who made the grand final in the Broncos and the Cowboys, they really had a good run of injuries – all their key players were playing at the right time of year which puts you in a good position to be successful.
"Then you look at the Roosters last year when Mitchell Pearce was injured, their continuity broke down a bit and they struggled come semi final time. They were probably the best team all year too, so you have to take each game as it comes."
Sezer isn't expecting a first grade berth to be handed to him, especially with teammates Sam Williams and Blake Austin combining well in the halves last year.
"I guess we can't jump to any assumptions. Obviously Sammy Williams had a good year last season and he's a quality player. I'm a fan of him so we'll see how it goes there," Sezer said.
"It's only good for the club having depth in that position. Everyone has ambition at the start of the year and we're no different.
"We have been training really hard and we've been working hard for each other, with a team first mentality. Everyone has bought into what Ricky's trying to build."
Sezer is relishing being closer to his Sydney-based family and believes is his new surroundings in Canberra should complement him as a player.
"I've enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would have. Canberra gets a bad rap from Sydneysiders and especially coming from the Gold Coast everyone has sort of been anticipating that I wouldn't like it, but I'm enjoying it," Sezer said.
"I guess a lot of it stems from the club itself, the boys that are here. You know if there are good people around you, then you're going to enjoy it no matter where you are. I could really see myself settling in for a long time here.
"It's been really refreshing to see family and friends a lot more often. After four years on the [Gold Coast] that part of life, my missus and I, were missing a bit – not seeing family as often as we would've liked. It felt like we were missing out on a bit, so it's been good."
