426Tlgerland
Well-known member
Is this Nikora stuff real , is he able to talk , been given the go ahead from sharks or is this another pipe dream , I thought he just signed for 3 years at sharks early this year ,
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
Kelce68
Well-known member
He's available to talk Nov 1. Off contract '26.
There's no confirmation we're after him, just one of several suggested targets for now.
weststigerman
Well-known member
Nikora was very strong this year and one of the better second rowers in the comp. Probably the best at hitting a hole.
Madge tried to sign him a few years ago before we got Papali'i. I didn't rate him as much back then but he's been terrific the last couple of years. I'd have no problem offering him 800k.
Madge tried to sign him a few years ago before we got Papali'i. I didn't rate him as much back then but he's been terrific the last couple of years. I'd have no problem offering him 800k.
Roar_Power
Well-known member
Can't see Nikora leaving the Shire. As others have speculated, getting Teig Wilton is much more plausible and is related to John Morris.
Kelce68
Well-known member
Yeh, I think that's the consensus.
Still, the cap can squeeze, money talks and there is a NZ/Maori connection there with our head coach.
king_sirro
Well-known member
Yea I do. Katoa was good no doubt. Martin IMO had way too many errors and penalties in him this year. Stood up in the big games, but week to week I thought it was one of his poorer years. Not saying he was poor, just not as good as he can be.
balmain boy
Well-known member
Of course there were third parties involved, his agent knew who was interested in large. We could have held off agreeing to the termination until we reached an agreement with the club he was planning to join.
That's what other, more professional clubs do
jrtiger
Well-known member
I see Cronulla having a similar free agency period to what Parramatta had in late 2021, where they lost Mahoney, Niukore and Papali'i and had to go big to retain Campbell-Gillard, Paulo and Gutherson.
they'll keep a few, but I think they lose some key pieces and will be forced to rebuild. hopefully we can pounce. Mulitalo, Stonestreet, Kaufusi, Hau Taphua and Wilton should be on our list of targets.
Where is the Nikora talk coming from?
Because Foxleague randomly suggested we should target him?
Madge chased him and he turned us down.
Re-signed with Sharks.
He seems like the perfect Tigers player in the aspect he's a backrower that can also play centre. We love those types.
Is there any more to this than just a suggestion?
He's an upgrade on Bateman and would be great for us, just not sure it's realistic.
Because Foxleague randomly suggested we should target him?
Madge chased him and he turned us down.
Re-signed with Sharks.
He seems like the perfect Tigers player in the aspect he's a backrower that can also play centre. We love those types.
Is there any more to this than just a suggestion?
He's an upgrade on Bateman and would be great for us, just not sure it's realistic.
weststigerman
Well-known member
Probably is unrealistic, but so was Luai so who knows.
jrtiger
Well-known member
I don't think it's a viable option tbh. I'll be very surprised if we pursue him.
Nonotmeagain
Well-known member
And he could have stayed until we got sick of the situation and let him go anyway. His agent is unlikely to offer any information that would likely hinder his client's ability to sign at another club.
The Chad
Well-known member
I would imagine targets for 2026- that the Tigers are going to hunt 1 or 2 pretty big fish. We are a cashed up club, and Richo has made overtures about his war chest.
So could we make a play at Nikora? Absolutely.
I find it really difficult to look 2 seasons away at what we 'need'. We have so many young players coming through- what we need today might be incomprehensible come January 2026.
Given the players coming through- I could see a world where 2nd Row & Centre are priorities. I would normally say middles, but with Sione Fainu, Pole, Johannssen, Miller, Tofaeono, Aho, Fa'agutu, Lualili'i & Matamua in their development stage, it's conceivable that at least 1 or 2 become regular 1st team players in 12-18 months. So then the need diminishes dramatically.
Given the direction the club wants to take, I'd be very surprised if Nov 1 the Tigers aren't looking at Willison & Corey Jensen from the Broncos, Tallis Duncan at Souths, Harrison Hassett from Penrith, Stonestreet from the Sharks, Adam Pompey from the Warriors & of course, Jack Hetherington from the Knights.
Obviously we are long odds to sign all of these guys. But coming away with 1 or 2 would strengthen the squad & not necessarily block the future of some of the kids the club hold in high regard.
So could we make a play at Nikora? Absolutely.
I find it really difficult to look 2 seasons away at what we 'need'. We have so many young players coming through- what we need today might be incomprehensible come January 2026.
Given the players coming through- I could see a world where 2nd Row & Centre are priorities. I would normally say middles, but with Sione Fainu, Pole, Johannssen, Miller, Tofaeono, Aho, Fa'agutu, Lualili'i & Matamua in their development stage, it's conceivable that at least 1 or 2 become regular 1st team players in 12-18 months. So then the need diminishes dramatically.
Given the direction the club wants to take, I'd be very surprised if Nov 1 the Tigers aren't looking at Willison & Corey Jensen from the Broncos, Tallis Duncan at Souths, Harrison Hassett from Penrith, Stonestreet from the Sharks, Adam Pompey from the Warriors & of course, Jack Hetherington from the Knights.
Obviously we are long odds to sign all of these guys. But coming away with 1 or 2 would strengthen the squad & not necessarily block the future of some of the kids the club hold in high regard.
balmain boy
Well-known member
He was the one that wanted out, we wanted him to extend. Therefore we had the leverage, not him.
We'll consider letting you out of your contract early, let us know which club you're looking to join and we'll reach out to them and see if we can negotiate a deal.
Betterdays22
Well-known member
2nd row recruit is the absolute non-negotiable imo when you look at who is coming through and who is currently there.
Tito Santana
Well-known member
Nikora is ok. He’s not a huge signing.
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
I think we all have to be mindful of a few of Richo's past comments before getting our hopes set on a 'big fish'.
In early interviews Richo alluded to be paying a higher % for spine players and we landed our big fish in Luai. The remainder would be recruiting good players who fill a need for us.
I take that as recruiting experience & culture value, players in positions where we lack depth or strike & finding players of $$$ value (i.e. those who are top 13 worthy but can't get a start at their current club i.e. Kobe Hetherington, or who are looking for more $$$ as current club are hamstrung by the cap i.e. Turuva).
I would be very surprised if we make a play for Nikora who will demand $850-$900k especially since we baulked at AFB's price for a middle.
Richo will be want to ensure we have space in future for the progress of our youngsters too.
That's my reasoning why a Teig Wilton or Connelly Lemelu as @jrtiger also suugests will be more viable for us as an edge target. Both top 13 players in their own right but leaves us $$$ in future when an Archie Duncombe or Pheonix Godinet jump out of the ground.
The only outlier to the above is if Brian To'o becomes available as he ticks every box for us PLUS he & Luai would be phenomenal for marketing the club well into the future!
Nonotmeagain
Well-known member
He has time - the Tigers don't and he wanted out. He could wait us out for another year and he was never going to extend and still go to Mnaly.
Staff online
-
DempsModerator