Nikorima holds high hopes for Dolphins in their debut season

Entering his ninth season in the NRL this year, Kodi Nikorima is excited for what lies ahead and is looking to make history with the Dolphins.

Signed in July last year from the Rabbitohs to be a foundation player with the club, the move sees him reunite with head coach Wayne Bennett, who he played under when at the Brisbane Broncos.

Nikorima is another of the Dolphins players who has embraced the opportunity to return “home”, with the utility hooker / halfback having spent his formative years growing up in Queensland.

“(It’s) history; being back with Wayne and then, it's sort of like a homecoming for myself,” Nikorima said of the appeal of signing with the Dolphins.

“Although I was born in in New Zealand, I’ve got all my family here and when we first moved over here, this is where we moved, so it's nice.”

With all players – including the various Rugby League World Cup representatives – having now joined the squad for preseason training, preparations are in full swing for the year ahead, with the former Warrior holding high hopes for his side, despite them taking part in their inaugural season.

“Well, my goal every year is to win a premiership,” Nikorima told NRL.com.

“I think that should be everyone's goal, but obviously, smaller steps would be to get into top eight first and it all starts now.

“It all starts there on the training paddock, so I'm doing all little things that I believe me as an individual can help this team moving forward. 

“One hundred percent (we can aim for the top eight); we can't have the mindset of just making up the numbers. And I know Wayne will instill that into this group … and obviously, with Wayne, there's high standards there … but that's up to us as a team to buy into whatever he wants and apply that onto the field.”

While there is plenty of hard work on the horizon, the season ahead also presents opportunity, with Nikorima hoping the stars align and he can get the chance to face off against his brother Jayden when the Dolphins play the Melbourne Storm in Round 12.

The younger Nikorima has turned his life around in recent years after being serving a suspension from the game, and was last year signed by the Storm, making his return to the NRL.

The pair also played together at the start of the 2022 season, with Jayden joining team co-captain Kodi in the Māori All Stars line-up.

“It's pretty exciting, because I've never played against my brother before,” Nikorima said of the prospect of a future face off.

“We actually played together last year for the first time in Māori’s ... we played 20s together, but at NRL level, it was the first time so that's pretty cool.

“I'm super proud of his turn-around, obviously spending two-and-a-half, three years out of the game to then come back and apply himself, because game changes every year I believe, and he hasn't looked out of place since he's been back.

“My only advice, which I tell him all the time, is just continue to work hard and opportunities will come.

“We're obviously really close; we've actually started our own personal business called the Nikorima Bros and it's designed for us to give back to kids similar to us who had nothing growing up.

“We'll try and get out in the communities whenever we can and with me being back here where I sort of started my career, I want to try to get out and help out some young kids as well.”