Canberra fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad’s NRL fairytale will come full circle on Friday.
He was desperate for an opportunity after two seasons at the Warriors behind reigning Dally M medallist Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and wingers Ken Maumalo and David Fusitu’a.
The 23-year-old signed with the Green Machine in February and has proved a revelation in Canberra. He leads the club in tries (10), tackle breaks (61) and run metres (167 per game).
Nicoll-Klokstad will face former mentor Tuivasa-Sheck in his hometown, Auckland, on Friday as the Raiders vie for a seventh win in eight games.
The Kiwi only had a month of the preseason to prove himself but managed to convince coach Ricky Stuart he was the man to replace Jack Wighton in the No. 1 jumper.
Dally M votes are published until round 12 and Nicoll-Klokstad (10 votes) was equal eighth at the halfway point of the season, one spot ahead of Tuivasa-Sheck.
Canberra co-captain and England international Josh Hodgson says he’s never seen a more professional youngster.
“He weighs all his food and runs around with his notepad and watches lots of video and writes everything down. He’s really meticulous with his preparation and as a result, he’s really consistent,” Hodgson told AAP.
“He’s been really good for us this year. It was a bit of a situation where we didn’t really know what we were going to do in terms of a fullback. There were a few different options but he’s taken it with both hands.”
Hodgson said Nicoll-Klokstad would only get better and tipped him to play for New Zealand one day but warned things would get tougher as his profile grew.
“He’s got all the potential to get better. With the attitude he’s got and the professionalism he’s got, he certainly doesn’t seem to be going backwards,” Hodgson said.
“He’s still a young kid and still has a lot of learning to do with a lot of years ahead of him but he’s certainly started really well.
“It can get harder sometimes when you’re new on the scene and people don’t really know what you do. They watch you play a few games and start trying to target you a little bit.
“But I think that’s been happening to him the last few weeks and he’s handled it really well.”
