Blayke Brailey and Briton Nikora will line up against each other for the first time in their careers on Wednesday at Accor Stadium, when the Cronulla pair make their State of Origin debuts for New South Wales and Queensland. The two men who debuted together for the Sharks in 2019 now find themselves on opposite sides of the field, after seven years of rising through the game together.
The meeting carries extra weight because Brailey, long seen as one of the competition’s most reliable dummy-halves, earned his Blues call-up after being selected in the Australian Kangaroos squad at the end of last year. Nikora, a damaging edge back-rower who has already represented the New Zealand Kiwis, gets his chance in Queensland colours after a career built at Cronulla alongside the man he once shared junior football with.
Brailey said their connection began long before the NRL spotlight, back when they were coming through the grades together at the Sharks. “Growing up Brit and me played SG Ball and came through the ranks together,” Brailey said, while also noting that Nikora arrived at the club on an open trial and then kept improving year after year. “It’s funny, he came to Sharks on an open trial and from there I’ve just watched his progression and how good he’s gone and how much he’s improved his game.”
That bond was built over shared setbacks as much as shared success. Brailey said the two pushed each other through good periods and difficult ones at the club, and that their partners also became close away from rugby league. “We’ve both sort of pushed each other. We’ve worked hard and been through some tough times at Sharks, but some great times too,” he said. “Once Wednesday comes around, I won’t be talking too much but it’ll be fun to see how he goes and he’s an outstanding player and a person too, so I’m really happy for him.”
Nikora returned the compliment, describing Brailey as a Sharks junior who has been at the club his whole life and saying the hooker has always had the talent to match the noise around him. “He’s been like that since (he was) young, so it’s good to finally see over these last few years, the NRL seeing how good he actually is,” Nikora said. “I reckon when he gets a chance to put that Blues jersey on, he’ll do his job and he’ll do it to the best of his ability.”
The split-screen Origin debut is a rare break from a partnership that has stretched from junior football to first-grade and now to representative rugby league. Brailey said the pair were both shy when they first met, and that it took time for the friendship to grow, but it did. “It probably started a bit slow. He’s shy and I know I was shy too so between both of us we didn’t talk too much,” Brailey said. On Wednesday, though, the conversation will stop when the whistle blows, and the next chapter in both careers will begin with a clash neither of them has experienced before.
