An emotional Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is hopeful he could play another game for the Canberra Raiders, but admits it will be hard to get back into the NRL side.
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Nicoll-Klokstad broke down after helping the Raiders' NSW Cup side beat Blacktown at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
It could've been his last game in lime green having lost his grip on the No.1 jersey due to hamstring problems and the emergence of young gun Xavier Savage this year.
He's returning to the New Zealand Warriors next season to be closer to his two young children.
Canberra's New Zealand players showed what he meant to them with a send-off haka after the Green Machine's 48-6 flogging of Manly.
Nicoll-Klokstad established himself as an NRL player during his time in Canberra, arriving at the club with just seven games under his belt ahead of the 2019 NRL season.
He quickly became one of the hardest-working fullbacks in the competition after being stuck behind Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at the Warriors.
He'll return there looking to make the No.1 jersey his own, but first his focus is on the Raiders' finals quest.
Canberra needs to win its final match against Wests Tigers at Leichhardt on Sunday to make the top eight.
A finals campaign will help his chances of getting back in the side.
"Hopefully. That would be good [to pull on the Raiders jersey again]," Nicoll-Klokstad said.
"It's a little bit hard to get into the side at the moment. The boys are playing well. They had a really good game [Saturday] night and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can do come finals footy."
Nicoll-Klokstad said it had been a tough way to end his time in Canberra.
He's played just 12 NRL games this year, hamstring issues plaguing him since round 11.
That opened the door for Savage to flourish on the big stage and emerge as the most exciting young fullback in the game.
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But the 27-year-old preferred to see the positives and used his time out to improve his game - looking to be a better player when he returns across the ditch to his native New Zealand.
"It has been tough. I had the shaky start of the year and started to find form and got injured for a good 10 weeks," he said.
"It was tough, but if you don't enjoy the downs you're not going to learn everything from it. I've taken a lot out of the lows and it makes you enjoy the highs a lot more."
Nicoll-Klokstad might be going back to the club where he made his NRL debut, but he felt both he and the Warriors had changed.
"I'm going back with all this experience and as a different person," Nicoll-Klokstad said.
"As much as I've been there before it does feel like I'm going somewhere new - they've got a new bunch of boys, a new coach and it's going to be really exciting."
NRL ROUND 25
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval, 4.05pm.
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David Polkinghorne
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
