Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad of the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad of the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad believes the team are on the road to something special in the NRL after a promising start to this campaign.
After a quarter of the season, the club have a 4-2 record, including head-turning victories in Townsville and Cronulla.
In terms of performances, it’s easily theirmost impressive opening period since 2018.
Given the low expectations on the squad early in the season, it’s been a pleasant surprise for most of the fanbase.
But Nicoll-Klokstad says the team have barely scratched the surface of their potential — and there is much more to come, ahead of their clash with the North Queensland Cowboys tomorrow at Mt Smart (5pm).
“It’s been a bit average from us,” said Nicoll-Klokstad, when asked by the Herald to assess the first six games. “We’re happy with the wins obviously but in each of those games there has still been so much [room for] improvement for us as a team. All of us are stoked, but we can be so much better — there is so much potential here as a group.”
His comments are representative of a new dawn at the club.
The team were starting from a low base — after the mental and physical toll of the disastrous 2022 season — as well as the challenge of integrating so many new players.
But they have managed to build a stronger culture, as well as fashion an effective game model. Perhaps most of all, there are new levels of accountability.
Nicoll-Klokstad knows what it takes to succeed — after being part of the Canberra Raiders team that reached the grand final and preliminary final in successive sessions — and sees early parallels, especially with their mental strength.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad celebrates his try. Photo / Photosport
He pointed to their last match at Mt Smart against the Bulldogs, with a 12-point swing early in the second half, with Josh Addo-Carr running the length of the field to score, moments after an Adam Pompey try had been controversially disallowed.
“That breaks teams and for us to stay in it and [come back] like we did there, that’s special,” said Nicoll-Klokstad. “There’s a feeling that you get and I’ve gotten that feeling a lot of times so far this year, the way that we’re able to stay in games and claw our way back.”
The 27-year-old has been a key part of the 2023 revival, with his strong defence, direct running and defensive organisation. It’s been an impressive personal return, after a difficult final season at the Raiders. He is happy with his form so far and is enjoying being a leader, but like the team, seeks compounding improvements.
The way they have started games has been an ongoing issue, particularly in the past fortnight, as they faced big deficits against Cronulla and Newcastle.
It’s become the topic du jour, but Nicoll-Klokstad denied it was a “mental block”. Both he and coach Andrew Webster believe it is fixable, with some clarity around detail and execution, particularly with the costly yardage penalties.
It’s likely wing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak will return against the Cowboys after being named as 18th man on Tuesday.
The Kiwi international was impressive in his comeback NSW Cup match (200 running metres, four tries) and Webster hinted he would be promoted.
Captain Tohu Harris is also tracking well, after training impressively on Thursday, while hooker Wayde Egan targeting a return against the Melbourne Storm in round eight, pending concussion protocols, after his second HIA of the season in the 34-24 loss in Newcastle last Sunday.
Webster also justified his choice of Dylan Walker at five-eighth to replace the injured Te Maire Martin, saying his experience (over 40 NRL games in the position) gave him the edge over Ronald Volkman, though the youngster will get further chances this season.
Fellow half Luke Metcalf is still around four weeks from returning from his pre-season hamstring injury.
