Cronulla Sharks star Briton Nikora admits to battling second-year syndrome after breakout season
He looked a natural successor to the retired Luke Lewis after a fantastic rookie year, but things haven’t exactly gone to plan for young Sharks back-rower Briton Nikora in 2020. Now he has a shot at redemption.
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The more Briton Nikora tried to forget about the second-year syndrome tag the more it plagued his thoughts. After bursting onto the scene to win Cronulla’s rookie of the year award last year and just be pipped by Payne Haas for the NRL’s rookie prize, Nikora struggled to find his rhythm this year.
So much so he was dropped for a month as he failed to replicate the form which saw him earn a Kiwis jumper at the end of last year.
“Everyone talks about the second-year syndrome,” Nikora said. “I have tried not to let it go to my head. I heard it during pre-season. I think it’s all in the mind.
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“If you want to believe it’s a thing then it is. It got to me a little bit. I tried not to worry about that sort of stuff and just worried about what you can control.
“I came onto the scene and no one knew who I was. Now people know who you are.
“I was trying to not let anything get to my head.”
The only surprise for Nikora was that Cronulla coach John Morris hadn’t summonsed the 22-year-old into his office earlier. Eventually Morris ran out of patience, dropping Nikora after the round-12 win against Brisbane. He was recalled in round 16 and has gone on to start the past five matches.
“I thought it was going to happen a few weeks earlier,” Nikora said. “I got away with a few more games before I got dropped. When he took me into the office I knew 100 per cent (what was going to happen) and I agreed with it.
“I should’ve got dropped. I needed to focus on a few things.
“He said I wasn’t playing up to my standards and I agreed. I had to get my fitness up and little things like tackle technique. There are no excuses. I just wasn’t performing how I wanted to perform and wasn’t giving my best for the team.”
While offensively his stats are well down Nikora compared to last year pointed to his defence as what had led to his axing.
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He made the right edge his own last year, becoming a natural successor to the retired Luke Lewis. He averaged 21 more running metres per game last year and made almost double the amount of tackle busts per game.
Nikora knows an upset win against the Raiders on Saturday will right all the wrongs of this season.
“That’s how it’s been around here, we have hit a reset button,” Nikora said. “It’s a new competition. It’s time to play finals footy.”
Originally published as Cronulla Sharks star Briton Nikora admits to battling second-year syndrome after breakout season