Fresh off re-signing Isaiya Katoa, The Dolphins have reportedly tabled a contract extension to another playmaker to keep him at the club.
The Dolphins have ten players without a contract at the end of the season but are set to retain at least one of them after extending the contracts of Katoa and Max Plath.
This is Kodi Nikorima, who has had a resurgence of form in the halves and kept Sean O'Sullivan and Anthony Milford out of the starting team.
A 15-time New Zealand Kiwis international, the 30-year-old is a veteran of the NRL, having made his NRL debut back in 2015 for the Brisbane Broncos.
Aiming to retain his services for the future, The Dolphins have tabled a two-year contract extension to Kodi Nikorima to keep him at the club, per The Courier Mail.
“We'd love to keep him on,” Bennett said of Nikorima, per the publication.
“I'd like for Kodi to finish his career with the Dolphins and there's no reason why he won't. He was one of the first 10 players we recruited and he has been wonderful for us.
“There's not many guys with his versatility, he can play any position in the backline and Kodi has developed some good leadership qualities.
“He has genuine leadership in him and his teammates really value his input.”
Nikorima initially joined the club after struggling to cement a regular starting spot at the Rabbitohs after stints with the Broncos and New Zealand Warriors but has become a mainstay of The Dolphins spine.
Playing 21 games last season, he has played in every game for the club this season and provided four try assists, seven line-break assists and forced four drop-outs in the five-eighth role.
A versatile player, Nikorima has also played at fullback, in the centres and off the interchange bench throughout the course of his career.
“Kodi has been a great survivor,” Bennett added.
“The Broncos let him go, they shoved him off in the middle of the season to the Warriors and then he went from the Warriors to South Sydney and now he's with us.
“When Ben Hunt left, we didn't have a halfback, so I decided to put Kodi at halfback. Anthony Milford was our five-eighth at the time and they knew each other well.
“I always felt Kodi could be a good playmaker. I was never disappointed in what he did for us at the Broncos.
“Unfortunately I left the Broncos and they got rid of that experiment, but I always felt Kodi had something to offer an NRL squad.
“Kodi is a very good person. He is very calm with our younger players here, understanding and tolerant.
“He is always happy to play any position that you ask him to play, having a history with him at the Broncos, I always knew what Kodi could bring to the Dolphins.”
