Wayne Bennett has praised Kodi Nikorima for "standing up for himself" as the Brisbane No.7 considers an immediate NRL move to the Warriors.
Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold has given the halfback a leave of absence to ponder the switch and also recover from a calf niggle, meaning he misses Thursday's clash with Bennett's South Sydney.
The Warriors were keen on the crafty ball-runner from 2020 and beyond and have reportedly offered Nikorima a $500,000 per season deal until the end of 2022.
He is poised to start in Auckland sooner than that though, with a mid-season transfer an option if the Broncos and Nikorima's management agree to terms.
Seibold conceded on Wednesday that he couldn't guarantee Nikorima's future at the club beyond 2020, while at the same time backing Tom Dearden ahead of the 18-year-old's debut against the Rabbitohs.
Nikorima, 25, has been in the Broncos' system since he was 12 and his former coach Bennett said he was pleased to see the New Zealand Test half take a stand.
"I thought he showed a lot of courage to do that; it's easy to go with the flow sometimes," Bennett said of Nikorima's decision to test the market.
"Kodi's someone that I had a lot to do with. Particularly his development, I was there for four years with him and I rate him very highly.
"I'm pleased he's strong enough to stand up for himself."
A threat off the bench when they came within one tackle of the 2015 premiership, Nikorima has copped constant scrutiny since taking the No.7 jersey fulltime last season.
Sean O'Sullivan, Tanah Boyd and Cory Paix are other young halves in the pipeline at Red Hill.
"Kodi had an option in his favour for 2020, he wanted to see what else was out there," Seibold said.
"As a club we could only guarantee 2020; we wanted to have a look at our options going forward, as every club does.
"He's got a lot to consider; been at this club since he was 12, 13 so it's not a decision that comes lightly for him."
Share
