Darius Boyd column: The mistake Kodi Nikorima can’t make in Friday night’s final vs Penrith
September 15, 2017
OVER to you, Kodi.
I was disappointed to have to tell Wayne on Thursday I won’t be taking the field for Friday night’s final, but it wasn’t a hard decision to make.
I never wanted to put my hand up to play if I didn’t think I couldgive 100 per cent and in the end, I had to do what I thought was best for the team.
During Thursday’s training session, my hamstring was still playing on my mind a bit and that’s not what you want when you’re in the middle of a do-or-die NRL clash.
I also pulled up a bit sore after the session, so the decision was made for me.
Now it’s Kodi Nikorima who will pull on the No.1 jumper and run out at fullback as we play to keep our season alive against Penrith at Suncorp Stadium.
Kodi is one of the brightest young talents in the game and we have full faith in his ability to fill the role.
He’s done it before and every position Wayne throws him in, he steps up to the challenge.
But there’s one mistake Kodi can’t afford to make on Friday night — don’t try to play like me.
Kodi and I are different footballers and he has his own unique style that will serve the team well at fullback.
He has strengths that I don’t and vice versa.
What I don’t want him to do is try to change his game because he thinks he has to be a replica of Darius Boyd.
Kodi is a great talent and he will bring his own skill set to the role.
As a genuine playmaker he will be a weapon for us in attack on Friday night.
He has a great running game and his pass is obviously at halfback standard.
We saw last week when he set up the Corey Oates try, and then put Jordan Kahu away down the wing with a couple of great passes.
He has the potential to break this game open for us when he gets the ball in his hands.
Kodi is also a great defensive player in his own right.
The modern fullback has a lot to do during a game of rugby league, and defence is an area that probably took me a while to master.
You’ve got to have the confidence to speak up, call numbers across and yell at your teammates if you have to.
As a fullback you have to be the organiser of your side’s defensive line and it’s not an easy job.
Kodi just has to remember to be animated and energetic at the back. But that’s a job for the whole team, too, not just Kodi.
Defence is a 13-man job.
That confidence to organise your teammates in a defensive line comes with experience.
As I said, it took me a while to master it and while Kodi doesn’t have the experience under his belt that I do, he already shows a lot of confidence around the group.
As a playmaker he has no problem talking on the field and giving instructions.
He’s a confident young kid and an important part of our club.
He’s played fullback plenty of times before and knows what is required of him on Friday night.
I don’t plan on pulling him aside for any one-on-one tuition.
If I can see something during the game that I think I can help with, of course I’ll be happy to speak to him at half time. I’d do the same with any of my teammates.
But we regularly have meetings with the spine players — there’s six or seven in the squad — so Kodi knows exactly what his job is at fullback.
It’s the same with Ben Hunt when he has to move between halfback and hooker ... because we’ve had those meetings together, he knows what each role requires.
I’ll let Kodi do his own thing. He knows he has the ability to be one of the best players on the field.
Source:
Fox Sports
