Former Keebra Park and Tweed Seagulls forward Briton Nikora’s journey to Sharks NRL debut

Briton Nikora will be out to prove the doubters wrong on Friday night.

BRITON Nikora will be out to prove the doubters wrong on Friday night.

Rising up the ranks, the Keebra Park product was constantly written off as too small and was rejected by teams including the Titans.

But a move to Cronulla in 2016 has paid dividends, with the 21-year-old second-rower to debut in the Sharks’ NRL starting side in their Round 1 showdown with Newcastle.

“He’s just a quality young kid who was toiling away up there and ended up at Tweed,” his agent Sam Ayoub said.

Briton Nikora in Sharks colours.

“He enjoyed his time at Tweed and they were looking after him from that point of view but he certainly wasn’t gaining any traction or interest beyond that I suppose so we brought him down to the Sharks.”

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By the following year, he was representing the Junior Kiwis.

Nikora still only tips the scales at 94kg but Ayoub insists he is more than just a workhorse.

Nikora playing for the Junior Kiwis in 2017. Picture: Getty Images

“He’s certainly not the biggest back-rower in the game but he has probably got a heart as big as anybody and it’s great recognition for him for persisting and staying at,” Ayoub said.

“He has got a great work ethic for sure but he’s a very strong running back-rower and certainly knows how to run lines.”

Nikora is one of three former Keebra students in line to make their NRL debuts this round, with Corey Allan and Tom Mikaele named on the bench for South Sydney and Wests Tigers, respectively.