The Canberra Raiders have signed Gold Coast Titans half Aidan Sezer, clouding the future of young playmaker Mitch Cornish.
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Sezer, 23, has signed a three-year deal with the Raiders from 2016 and is viewed as a long-term halves partner for Blake Austin, who joined the club from the Wests Tigers this season.
Cornish, 22, comes off contract with Canberra at the end of the season and was replaced in the NRL squad last weekend by Sam Williams, who made a dominant return to the top grade and remains contracted for 2016.
The Raiders have shown patience with Cornish's development, slowly bringing the former Australian Junior Kangaroos halfback into the NRL last year before starting him in the first four matches this season. But the club is hungry for immediate success, having not made the top-four since 2003.
The Raiders have signed England representative forward Elliott Whitehead for 2016 and their aggressive recruitment campaign is not over yet, with at least one more high-profile backline player on their list of targets.
Sezer has already played 58 NRL games since making his debut in 2012 and represented the Indigenous All Stars and Prime Minister's XIII in 2013.
The Titans have signed Australian halfback Daly Cherry-Evans for 2016 and Manly had been chasing Sezer's signature as a potential replacement.
The Raiders are also looking to bolster their front-row for next season, with Dane Tilse moving on to England in two weeks and David Shillington unlikely to have his contract extended beyond this year.
Canberra is building from within its own ranks too. The club has re-signed 20-year-old Mitch Barnett on a two-year deal this week which will see him elevated to the NRL squad from 2016. Canberra has also indicated its intention to bring through Queensland Cup Player of the Year from 2014, Luke Page.
