Briton Nikora's journey to 150 NRL games as a proud one-club man began with a fateful open trial at the Sharks in 2015 when the young back-rower had almost fallen out of love with the sport.
As he prepares to celebrate the milestone in Thursday night's local derby against the Dragons at Sharks Stadium, Nikora reflected on his humble beginnings.
A decade ago, the New Zealand native was attending famed Gold Coast rugby league nursery Keebra Park High School, starting to come into his own after years of being overlooked for representative teams. In a sliding doors moment, Nikora headed south to try out for Cronulla's under 20s squad with no guarantees.
As he left the field, Sharks General Manager Football Darren Mooney was ready to sign him and help launch what has become an outstanding career.
"Coming through school, I wasn't really making teams and I sort of fell out of love with league. The last year of school, I gave it a little crack and started playing good footy," the Tauranga-born Nikora told the media earlier this week.
"I came down here for an open trial and ended up getting picked up from there. After the games, Moons, who's here now, came up to me and let me know he'd stay in contact with me the next few weeks.
"He told me to come down, I started doing pre-season and it rolled from there."
After starring in the National Youth Competition, Nikora went on to make his NRL debut against the Knights in Round 1, 2019 alongside fellow rookie Blayke Brailey, who brought up his 150th NRL match in last week's loss to the Warriors.
Never one to seek the spotlight, Nikora has been typically understated this week, preferring to focus on the team cause rather than his personal achievements.
The 27-year-old is desperate to secure two hard-earned competition points as the fifth-placed Sharks aim to steady the ship after back-to-back defeats.
"It's a big milestone for me and my family ... When I look back I'm proud of myself and everyone that's got me here," Nikora said.
"It's big, the local derby, but I'm trying to put the 150 milestone to the side and get us focused on getting back on track and getting some good games as a team.
"Heaps of family are coming over from New Zealand, (plus) my mates and family from the Gold Coast. There's going to be a few people here, but I want to make sure I focus on the game, get the result and get us back on track."
Nikora's family, including wife Sharmaine and their three children, attended a heartfelt jersey presentation with the squad on Wednesday morning.
With the side unable to mark Brailey's milestone match with a victory, Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is determined to ensure history doesn't repeat for Nikora.
"This week we get Brit who's obviously a terrific player. You don't have to be a Sharks fan to appreciate what Briton Nikora's about," Fitzgibbon said.
"A man of few words, but he's got a real presence and the players respect him enormously. You watch enough footy, you know what Briton Nikora's about.
"We expect him to bring that tomorrow."
A renowned hole-runner, Nikora has scored 49 tries in 149 NRL appearances to date as well as proudly representing New Zealand in 13 Tests.
