Kodi Nikorima admits he went glory-hunting in New Zealand’s draw with Brisbane

Kodi Nikorima has admitted he went hunting for glory in the closing stages of New Zealand’s draw with Brisbane in an effort to sink his former club.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 13: Kodi Nikorima of the Warriors shows his frustration after missing a shot at field goal in golden point extra time during the round 17 NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the New Zealand Warriors at Suncorp Stadium on July 13, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

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Kodi Nikorima has admitted to NRL glory-hunting against his former club after skewing multiple field goal attempts in the Warriors’ draw with the Broncos. Kiwis Test halfback Nikorima didn’t make excuses for his three missed shots during the golden-point period of the Kiwi outfit’s 18-18 stalemate in Brisbane. In fact he turned the finger of blame squarely on himself, conceding the thought of being a matchwinner on his long-time home ground of Suncorp Stadium affected his execution.

Nikorima missed three shots at field goal. AAP Image/Darren England.

Nikorima admitted it may have been prudent to let fellow-half Blake Green make at least one of the attempts.

“Looking back at it now, I think I was thinking about it too much, how good a story it would have been if I was to kick one,” Nikorima told journalists. “I do practise it a lot after training and it was one of those moments where I decided I wanted it. Maybe I should have let Greeny have a shot.

“But hey, it’s not to be. Obviously the footy gods weren’t on my side and we’ll take the one point.” The Warriors are historically poor at landing field goals with nobody on the current roster having slotted one in the NRL.

Shaun Johnson kicked 13 for the club before leaving in the off-season for Cronulla, who the Warriors host in Friday’s crucial mid-table clash in Wellington.

Nikorima has never kicked a field goal in the NRL. AAP Image/Darren England.

Johnson is in doubt with an ankle injury suffered during the Sharks’ heavy loss to Melbourne.

Nikorima said he would be disappointed if robbed of the chance to face his New Zealand Test halves partner and believed Johnson would be even more gutted if ruled out.

“It’s a bit unfortunate because I know when you play against your old team, you really want to win,” Nikorima said.

“Obviously it’s unfortunate for him but it’s pretty good for us because he’s a tremendous player.”

Originally published as Kodi Nikorima admits he went glory-hunting in New Zealand’s draw with Brisbane