It turns out we've been saying their names all wrong.
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Canberra Raiders officials have informed NRL broadcasters and announcers this season that they wish for the correct pronunciation to be used when mentioning star trio Josh Papalii, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Corey Harawira Naera.
Papalii should be pronounced Papa-li-li, Nicoll-Klokstad is actually Nicoll-Klook-star (rhymes with book star), while Harawira-Naera is to be said Hada-wida-nida.
For Papalii it's a welcome change after hearing his name said wrongly since debuting in the NRL a decade ago.
As for Nicoll-Klokstad?
"I asked my old lady and she said it's pronounced 'Klooksta' - she's known for a very long time and hasn't passed that information on," the New Zealand international said.
"Last year I went to send myself a message on Jordan's phone and I saw my last name wasn't spelled right at all so I chucked it up on Insta and had a good laugh and my cousin said you've actually been saying your last name wrong too."
The Klokstad half of the star fullback's surname stems from Norwegian heritage on his mother's side of the family.
"I know I've got family in Norway, they keep in touch every now and then, I'm always keeping in touch with my old lady, she's their connection to us," Nicoll-Klokstad said.
"My great grandmother on my Mum's side was part Norwegian as well, and my Mum's dad, he was full Norwegian. That bloodline's strong and I'm quite proud of it. I'd love to take my kids there and my old lady as well, I don't think she's been to Norway."
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Learning the correct pronunciation of his name has also spurred Nicoll-Klokstad on to learn more about his Cook Islands roots.
"I wasn't indulged in my culture as much as I would've liked to growing up in terms of being able to speak our language or just know the basics about our culture and for me I've put a big emphasis on trying to break that cycle," Nicoll-Klokstad said.
"I'm hoping if I pick up one language the other one will flow and the next will be Norwegian."
Papalii has already received feedback on the pronunciation changes: "I got a bit of mail on my Insta asking why I changed my last name - I didn't change my last name it's just said properly [now]," he said.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
