RUGBY LEAGUE - Niko busts way into Warriors U-20 squad

HAMISH BIDWELL
THREE years ago, SportToday predicted Elijah Niko could be another Ali Lauitiiti; now he's off to the club where the giant backrower made his name.
The 17-year-old St John's College pupil leaves for Auckland tomorrow, to begin a three-year deal with the New Zealand Warriors' Toyota Cup under-20 team.
He's done it the hard way too, breaking into a squad that's been together for three months in preparation for a campaign which began on Monday night, when they played the curtainraiser to the first team's match against the NRL champions, the Melbourne Storm.
"Rugby League Hawke's Bay got me a trial and I went down and played with the team against the Taranaki Sharks and then another game against the Mt Albert Lions, up in Auckland," Niko said.
"After the second game (under-20s coach) Tony Iro came up to me and my dad and said they wanted to offer me a contract. I didn't really think I had a chance, because I hadn't been training with the team or played in all the trials.
"I'm very happy. This has been a goal of mine and I can't wait to get up to Auckland and be a part of it."
Better known here as a wide-running second-rower with the EIT Students' Association and Hawke's Bay Unicorns, Niko says his future may lie closer to the action.
"Tony Iro told me that he wanted me to play prop and that they think I'll have a better chance of developing in that position," he said.
"I was a bit apprehensive about having to play prop and return the kickoffs and that kind of thing and I was nervous coming into the team for those trials.
"Now I feel confident that I can do well, even though the games and the training are very different from what we do in Hawke's Bay.
"Being in the Toyota Cup is a great opportunity for me and we'll travel to games in Australia with the first team and have our matches on TV and stuff. This is a dream for me but I have to make sure I do well when I get there."
Niko's signing is also a huge boost for rugby league in Hawke's Bay and for Alan Mason, who guided the youngster through the club and representative ranks and brought him to the attention of Warriors development manager Dean Bell.
"It creates a pathway for other young players here and we're absolutely over the moon for Elijah," Mason said.
"He's got a great head on his shoulders and he's been training the house down for the last month or so. I'm just so excited for him and it's wonderful opportunity for him and his family, who I understand will be moving to Auckland in the near future as well.
"He'll get to be around the top team, travel with them, train with them and just soak up information. It's fantastic news for all of us and I've now got a couple of other boys in the pipeline too."
Aside from a small sign-on fee, Niko has an incentive-based contract which will reward him for any Toyota Cup appearances made this year. Those figures will double in year two, by which time he may be pushing for a first-grade spot.