The decision to let Dolphins veteran Kodi Nikorima leave at the end of the season has been widely panned, with the classy five-eighth paying tribute to a current Souths star for elevating his game to scary heights.
Nikorima, 32, spent time at the Broncos, Warriors and Rabbitohs before he returned to Queensland as a key member of the Dolphins’ inaugural squad.
He has spent the past four seasons at the club and has formed a potent halves combination with Isaiya Katoa, but that partnership will end in a few weeks when he heads south on a deal with the Dragons.
The decision to sign English veteran George Williams was questioned at the time and seems even crazier given how well Nikorima is playing, but the Dragons aren’t complaining with the five-eighth one of several great gets for the Red V in 2027.
“He was their best player in the first half,” former playmaker Greg Alexander said on SEN after watching Nikorima dominate the Roosters.
“I like his ball playing and he’s always been a great runner, but his ability to just hold the defence up, it was on show on Saturday.
“And you’re thinking, wow, George Williams, seriously?
“Nikorima, although 32, has lost no speed and is a better player now than he ever has been.”
We’ll know in a year whether the Dolphins made the right call, with money playing a key role in the move.
“It was obviously very tough,” Nikorima replied when asked about his decision to leave.
“I came here as an inaugural player. Brisbane is home, my family’s from here, my kids were born here, so it was obviously a tough decision. But it’s a business at the end of the day, and hopefully we can just go out on a high this year.”
While Katoa is widely regarded as the game’s next great halfback, Nikorima has been the attacking spark this season which will see the Dolphins play finals footy for the first time.
The crafty playmaker has carved up on their lethal left edge and has already set up a career-high 22 tries, with Nikorima looking a lot like Rabbitohs legend Cody Walker who always appears to have time with the ball.
“He’s one of my favourite players,” Nikorima said, having spent the 2022 season with Walker at the Bunnies.
“He’s obviously played a massive part (in my game) whether he knows it or not.
“I spent that half a year at South Sydney just watching him go about his work. He’s probably the most skilful player I’ve ever played with.
“I went down there thinking that he was this player who just loves playing off the cuff, but he’s actually a lot more structured than people think.
“He loves his footy, he’s got a great IQ and a great understanding of the game.
“Watching him go about his work through training, the reps that he puts in with his ball playing, I tried to take that to the Dolphins and it’s just pleasing that that’s starting to come off at the moment.”
The Dolphins are a genuine premiership threat this season given their ability to score points from anywhere on the field, but it’s their defence that could be the trump card in the finals.
At 174cm and 82kg, Nikorima is an obvious target in defence. But he’s making a career-high 19.9 tackles this year and has reduced his misses from 12 months ago, with former coach Wayne Bennett playing a key role in his improvement.
“We felt we were one of the best attacking teams last year, but I think what’s helped us this year is the fact that we’re able to defend our mistakes,” he said.
“We obviously know that defence wins games and it was a talking point in our pre-season, a big focus. We know we can attack, but if we can hold teams at bay and give ourselves opportunities, that’s a win for us.
“Under Wayne, he’s always making me do extras. He did it when I was at the Broncos as well.
“I guess for myself it’s just making sure that I’m ticking every box during the week to make myself physically right for the game and then going out there and putting my body on the line.
“Understanding the importance of defence, I think just a whole mindset around it has changed this year.”
Originally published as Greg Alexander questions why the Dolphins didn’t keep Kodi Nikorima