Boyd backs Nikorima to put bite on Sharks
BRONCOS skipper Darius Boyd has declared Kodi Nikorima the halfback with the game- breaking brilliance to snap the longest premiership drought in Brisbane’s 29- year history.
On the eve of tonight’s Broncos- Sharks blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium, Nikorima revealed he was so determined to clinch the Brisbane No. 7 jumper he knocked back the opportunity to play with Cooper Cronk at Melbourne.
The decision has paid dividends, with Nikorima keen to maintain his flawless record by dismantling the Sharks and clinching his eighth victory as Brisbane’s starting halfback.
It’s 11 years since the playmaking combination of Darren Lockyer and unheralded Shane Perry steered the Broncos to their last premiership.
Like Perry, Nikorima has his detractors, but Boyd, one of just two survivors of Brisbane’s most recent title victory, says the 23- year- old has the talent to deliver the club’s seventh premiership.
“Kodi has the ability and he’s only going to get better,” he said.
“During his first five weeks ( filling in for the injured Ben Hunt at halfback), Kodi won every game.
“Halfback is a position that takes years to master. You look at a guy like Cooper Cronk ( Queensland and Test No. 7), he took a while to master playing in the halves but now he is regarded as one of the best ever.
“I can see Kodi developing in the same way.”