The Mole: Why the Sharks 'don't want to rely' on marquee enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake
Sharks forwards have vowed to take some of the workload off marquee signing Addin Fonua-Blake to ensure the big man is fresh for the big end-of-season matches.
The former Warriors prop has been a great acquisition for the Sharks, leading the way up front across the opening nine weeks of the competition.
In a tight win over the Eels in Magic Round, Fonua-Blake ran for 140 metres with the ball - more than any Cronulla forward.
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But his teammates realise there is a chance of burnout over a long season and want to ease the burden on the giant front-rower.
Addin Fonua-Blake The Mole Getty
"Addin has been massive for us - on and off the field," in-form back-rower Briton Nikora told Wide World of Sports.
"His leadership is proving a real asset and he is great with the young blokes, but we can also use him better - we know that.
"We don't want to rely on him to do everything and want to try to keep him fresh and fit for when we really need him in the big games.
"It's up to the rest of us in the forwards to step up and not make him have to push himself so hard."
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Nikora is in career-best form for the Sharks, running off well-timed passes from halves Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall to create havoc for defences.
"I've been playing with these guys for a few years now and we know each other's games," the Kiwi star said.
Briton Nikora is one of Cronulla's best. Getty
"They have the ball skills and it's up to me to run the right lines, but I'm happy with the way things are going."
Cronulla face a big test of their credentials against Manly at Brookvale on Sunday.
"That's a hard place to win and they have a good team so we will need to be at our best," Nikora said.
