Darwin Brothers’ siblings Caleb Niki and Ellie Niki win big at NRL NT night of nights
A pair of Darwin Brothers siblings were the toast of the NRL NT with both winning top honours after a massive season. See all the pictures and winners from the 2023 Frank Johnson awards.
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It was a real family affair at the 2023 Frank Johnson / Gaynor Maggs medal night with siblings Caleb Niki and Ellie Niki taking out the top accolades.
The Darwin Brothers duo have been absolute standouts all season getting tries and points aplenty for their sides, while also fostering a cross-comp sibling rivalry.
Caleb has often been the Mr Fix-It for Brothers running out of fullback and causing chaos on the counter attack with his undeniable leg speed.
He scored 21 tries across 17 games and with points also coming off the tee posted a total of 206 points for the season, with Brothers dropping out in the preliminary final.
Beside the Frank Johnson, Niki topped both point categories, while also being named the NT News Player of the Year and making it into the NRL NT Team of the Year.
And he achieved the accolade in a season where he was returned to his junior position of fullback after spending time in the centres and second row.
“It’s a really high honour to win the Frank Johnson especially as I’m the first from my family to have won, it’s one of the highlights of my career so far,” he said.
“In the past couple of years and when we won the premiership (in 2020) I was playing second row or playing a few games in the backs at centre.
“But then I was trusted with that fullback position, which is where I played a lot in juniors especially in union, and it’s sort of helped me find what suits me.
“I’ve given (going to a bigger league) a bit of thought and I don’t really know to be honest.
“If the opportunity presents itself I would grab it with both hands and run with it, but I’m not in a rush to go anywhere and I’m loving where I’m playing and how I’m going right now.”
He was also full of praise for his sister, who he said had helped push him throughout the 2023 season, as well as his Brothers’ squad who had pretty much grown up together.
“Having that little rivalry with my sister has really pushed me to keep going this season as we enjoy trying to one-up each other,” Niki said.
“It’s unreal to win this with her, you couldn’t dream of this to have two siblings win the same award on the same night.
“A lot of this Brothers’ team came up together. I joined in the last two years of under-18s but a lot of these boys have been together since under-6s.
“That’s something I really admire about the club and this team, their willingness to stick by each other is what makes us such a great club and I love it.”
Meanwhile, Ellie has also had a massive season for Darwin Brothers topping the points tally with 130 while also coming second in the tryscoring table with 17 to her name.
She’s been a key part of a dominant Brothers’ side who have won all but one game on their hunt for back-to-back flags.
But she’s also found success elsewhere being part of the undefeated NT Titans side, coaching the under-17s Titans and also being the assistant coach of the Brothers under-17s as well.
“It’s a bit unreal, I wasn’t really expecting it as there’s a lot of top competitors in this league and at the club,” she said.
“It’s been a great year, I think we needed the loss in the semi-final to keep us grounded having been the benchmark side throughout the season.
“We’ve been a strong group all season and we are just ready to get out there this weekend and get the job done.
“To go away with the women’s team and go undefeated was an unreal feeling, I had played with most of the girls throughout my junior rep time.
“Coaching the under-17s wasn’t something I expected, I got thrown in the deep end. It was definitely a task but I enjoyed it and I love coaching. It’s what I want to do after my playing career.
“I have to thanks Leon Cleal for what he’s done for me and how he’s impacted me and my season this year and our coaches who without them our team wouldn’t be at the standard it is now.”
Caleb also noted the impact of Cleal who won Coach of the Year after coaching the Brothers’ men and Titans’ women.
“Ever since coming to the club he’s brought right into our culture and how we play and even talk on and off the field,” he said.
“He’s more one of our friends rather than just having that coaching role. He is always there for us off the field getting new blokes jobs and that, he’s just really good to have around.”
ALL THE WINNERS
Frank Johnson – Caleb Niki (Darwin Brothers)
Gaynor Maggs – Ellie Niki (Darwin Brothers)
Coach of the Year – Leon Cleal (NT Titans / Darwin Brothers)
Volunteer of the Year – Bianca Scrymgour (Darwin Brothers)
Club of the Year – Litchfield Bears
Team of the Year – Litchfield Bears under-18s
Rising Star Award – Dylan Mugadza (South Darwin Rabbitohs)
A-Grade leading point scorer – Caleb Niki (Darwin Brothers)
A-Grade leading try scorer – Caleb Niki (Darwin Brothers)
Women’s leading point scorer – Latoniya Norris (Darwin Brothers)
Women’s leading try scorer – Ellie Niki (Darwin Brothers)
Reserve Grade Player of the Year – Brodie Toms (Palmerston Raiders)
Reserve Grade leading point scorer – Brodie Toms (Palmerston Raiders)
Reserve Grade leading try scorer – Brodie Morcom (Litchfield Bears)
Under-18s Player of the Year – Ned Bush (Litchfield Bears)
Under-18s leading point scorer – Dallas Caulton (South Darwin Rabbitohs)
Under-18s leading try scorer – Adrian Scott (Darwin Brothers)
Teacher of the Year – Robbie Butcher (MacKillop Saints / Nightcliff Dragons)
Referee of the Year – Jason Woodman
No More Campaign Player of the Year – Siniva Sa’anga (Alice Springs)
NT News Player of the Year – Caleb Niki (Darwin Brothers)
NRL NT Media Award - Nine News Darwin
ALL THE PHOTOS
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