A relaxed Briton Nikora says his NRL debut for Cronulla last weekend against Newcastle “was alright” as he prepares to take on Gold Coast this Saturday.

Speaking to The St George Leader, Nikora thanked Wade Graham and retired legend Luke Lewis for showing him the ropes since arriving for an open trial at the Sharks a few years ago.

“I’m loving it here. All the boys like Wadeo, even Lewy last year, took me under their wing. Taught me what I need to focus on and telling me to bide my time. And then just be patient and when you do get a crack just take it with both hands,” Nikora said.

“[The game] was pretty fast. But I think it was just because we were defending most of the time, especially in the first half it was quite quick because we were making a lot of mistakes and defending most of the time.

“I wasn’t too bad. The contact wasn’t too bad. It was alright. It was just a little bit faster at the start. I got a little bit of confidence out of [my defending]. I try to make every tackle I can, even if it’s one on one, whatever I can for the team.”

The81stMinute Call Team returns this Sunday for the Wests Magpies versus Warriors clash – live from 3.45pm (5.45pm NZ) on Steelesports.com.au