Recruit watch: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad

The NRL market has been in full swing for 2023 with several stars switching clubs ahead of the new season.

NRL.com takes a look at the major transfers and how your club will benefit from a star arrival.

Recruit watch:

• Player: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Warriors)
• Age: 27
• Position they’ll fill: Fullback
• Contracted until: 2025

What Nicoll-Klokstad can bring

Five years on from making his NRL debut with the Warriors, Nicoll-Klokstad returns following a four-season stint with the Raiders, and with no other recognised fullback on their roster now Reece Walsh is gone, he gives the club a long-term answer in the No.1 jersey. 

At Canberra 'CNK' gained over 50 games of experience as a first-grade custodian, which includes playing fullback in an NRL Grand Final in 2019, and he arrives following a strong campaign for the Kiwis at the World Cup, albeit playing mostly as a centre. 

While he won't bring the level of dynamic play Walsh did, he also won't bring the errors, which Walsh had 38 of in 22 games last season, and on the whole should be a more consistent presence at the back. 

At 96kgs Nicoll-Klokstad plays a physical style more closely aligned to that the Warriors enjoyed success with under former captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, and in his last full season in the NRL in 2020 he averaged 179.9 metres and 3.3 tackle busts per game.

Why it’ll work

On paper the ingredients are all there for a fullback to thrive at the Warriors in 2023.

The forward pack, led by Addin Fonua-Blake and Tohu Harris, should be much improved on last season thanks to the signing of Mitchell Barnett and Marata Niukore, while the addition of Te Maire Martin to play alongside Shaun Johnson means there are now two experienced halves to guide the side around the park. 

While his past two seasons haven't been great, with injury and form struggles meaning he has only played 19 NRL games, the evidence is already there that Nicoll-Klokstad has what it takes to be a top fullback in the NRL.

His 2019 and 2020 seasons were strong, and back at the Warriors, under a coach who has already publicly declared his confidence in Nicoll-Klokstad to make the No.1 jersey his own, it's not hard to see him returning to his best. 

With the days of the Warriors playing with wingers the size of forwards long gone, Nicoll-Klokstad's ability to get kick return sets off to a good start will be an asset right from the outset, and he looks a nice fit for them at this point of his career.