sport, raiders, charnze nicoll-klokstad, nrl, canberra raiders, roger tuivasa sheck, raiders warriors

The nerves had been brewing in Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's stomach for months. Sure, his rugby league career had taken off as Nicoll-Klokstad shone at fullback for the Canberra Raiders. Club officials had set about negotiating a contract extension to keep him in the capital. But there was still something missing - until his phone lit up with a message from his partner Sarah. "All I wanted to do was make my partner and my kids [Rio and Kyrie] feel like this was home to them," Nicoll-Klokstad said. "It wasn't until my partner spent a couple of weeks away from Canberra that she messaged and just said 'I actually miss Canberra'. "That was all I was wanting to hear the whole time. It gave me a really big sense of relief and gratitude that Canberra is such a good place." Nicoll-Klokstad joined the Raiders on a deal worth little more than the NRL's minimum wage but is now on the cusp of an extension in the vicinity of $1.5 million which could keep him at the club until the end of 2023. MORE RAIDERS NEWS The 24-year-old has another year to run on his deal but Canberra supremos are keen to lock him down long-term before rivals come knocking as Nicoll-Klokstad's management push for an upgrade in 2020. Whether they nail it or not right away matters little, because it seems there is hardly a place on earth the father of two would rather be. "We're just waiting for a few things on Canberra's end to get ticked off and then we can sit down and get something sorted out," Nicoll-Klokstad said. "At the moment, my main focus is just to do my job for this team and that's all I can do. "It never sinks in. Every week I pinch myself. One of my main things each week is just to go out there and soak it up. "In 2017 it was all going for me [at the Warriors], and in 2018 I didn't get a game. This year I have been lucky enough to play every game so far. "To be a part of a side that is so unique and social, it's unimaginable. It's crazy." Nicoll-Klokstad's struggle to get a start at the Warriors - his opposition come Sunday - hardly came through any fault of his own. The man ahead of him in the pecking order was Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - the man who would go on to win the Dally M medal while Nicoll-Klokstad chipped away in reserve grade. The Raiders custodian has taken his chance with both hands in Canberra having emerged as one of the game's finest hidden gems. Tuivasa-Sheck and James Tedesco set the benchmark for fullbacks in the NRL, but Nicoll-Klokstad's numbers suggest his stock is quickly rising. He has scored 11 tries, laid on three more and broken 97 tackles in 23 appearances this season. His Warriors counterpart has scored six, racked up 10 try assists and busted through 122 tackles in 22 games. 'CNK' will invariably be asked about his upcoming clash with 'RTS' when he fronts the media at Raiders headquarters on Tuesday - but the Canberra star says this game is just like any other. "All of that extra emotion in the game and those feelings all went out the door in round 20, back home in New Zealand," Nicoll-Klokstad said. "At the moment, my thought process is to just prepare as well as I can to do the best job I can for the team. Then we can start building towards the finals." NRL ROUND 25 Saturday: Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors at Canberra Stadium, 3pm. Tickets from Ticketek.

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