MY TYME TO SHINE

Tracing father’s footsteps

TYME Dow-nikau was a month from being born when dad Tawera Nikau faced Wigan at Wembley – now he wants to create his own piece of Challenge Cup history.

Nikau senior was a cult hero during spells at Ryedale York, Sheffield, Warrington and especially Castleford, where he was loose forward in the 1992 final.

He wore the same No.13 shirt when Cas stunned that star-studded Wigan team in the Regal Trophy final 18 months later.

Dow-nikau followed his father’s initial footsteps to the Minster City, and tonight the Championship club host the Warriors in the third round, hoping to spring a huge surprise.

The 28-year-old said:

“It’s exciting. If we want to push up into Super League one day then we need to test ourselves against the best.

“The old man mentioned the other day a Challenge Cup game for York against Warrington and said they nearly got it, they only lost by a try or so.

“There’s massive history around the Challenge Cup and he’s been in touch a fair bit about the game.

“We’re just a little bit off being a really good team at the moment and

DADDY KNOWS BEST: Tyme Dow-nikau is hoping to replicate (inset, below) dad Tawera tackling Martin Offiah

I’m excited for us. If we can put it together against Wigan it’ll set us up for a really good season ahead.”

Dow-nikau was always destined for a rugby league field after growing up around some of the most famous clubs in the world.

“Watching the old man play at the weekend, most kids aspire to be like the people they’re around and it was always a big ambition for me to be like him,” he said.

“I bounced around a fair bit as a kid and was up in Warrington and Castleford, as well as Cronulla and Melbourne in Australia before we moved back to New Zealand.

“I was always around the locker rooms with different teams and sitting in the dug-outs. There’s some good memories.”

The year could yet finish with Dow-nikau supporting his dad on the field like old times.

Nikau, now 54, lost a leg in a motorcycle accident in 2003, and has targeted a place in New Zealand’s Physical Disability World Cup squad.

Dow-nikau added: “He said that he’s been training with them and hopefully he’ll play in that.

“I’ve already asked him if there’s a waterboy job going again.”