'Geordie' Nokes chasing NRL dreams in Australia

Isaac Nokes (bottom) feels the force of Queensland Cup rugby league while representing Ipswich Jets

Isaac Nokes has a dream. To play in Australia's elite National Rugby League.

He is chasing that dream. Staking it all on the chance to become a star.

The only difference for Nokes is, this isn't some kid from Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra or Newcastle. Well, not that Newcastle, anyway.

Nokes is from Newcastle all right, but the city 10,000 miles away in England. A 21-year-old Geordie who picked up his love for rugby league from making and watching highlights reels of NRL stars.

In other words, a lad away from the heartlands with just 27 first-grade games with Newcastle Thunder to his name, has moved halfway around to world to pit himself against all the talent Australia has to give for a shot at glory.

"It had always been my aim, I've never really watched Super League growing up," Nokes told BBC Sport. "Super League was on satellite television and we didn't have that.

"There was a streaming website which had all the NRL on, the games and the talk shows. So I just fell in love with all that.

"We did some goal setting at Thunder and my coach Michael Heap said 'what's your dream goal?', and for me it was to play in the NRL - but at that point there, I was in the under-17s at Newcastle's academy, it was miles away.

"Michael said 'aim for the stars and if you land on the moon, then that'll do'. Ever since then I've taken it one step at a time, and thankfully I've ended up here."

'Here', by the way, is the city of Ipswich in Queensland, west of Brisbane.

Former Thunder coach Mick Mantelli helped Nokes get set up with the Ipswich Jets, a famous old club who list the legendary Alfie Langer and the Walters brothers - Kerrod and Kevin - among their alumni.

Coached by Ben Cross, the Jets are a feeder club in the Queensland Cup - one rung below the big guns of the NRL - and have a development deal with the Roosters.

He was presented with his first shirt and heritage number before his debut against Souths Logan, and there were a couple of surprises thrown in.

"The jersey presentation is always great, they played some videos from my parents which I wasn't expecting, which was good," Nokes added.

"[Head coach Ben] Crossy said he'd done some Facebook stalking because they wanted to get my parents' video without me knowing, and it means the world to me that a coach would go out of his way to get something like that."

Early roots

Unlike many Geordie lads, Nokes - a self-confessed lower than average footballer - never aspired to be the next Alan Shearer or Bruno Guimaraes.

He was a rugby nut, and with league enjoying less of a community footprint in the north east back then, Nokes' first introduction to the oval ball was in union with Percy Park, a club on North Tyneside.

He was encouraged to dabble in league for fitness and skills with Wallsend Eagles - home of the Thorman brothers, and then Cramlington Rockets - where the love for the game thrived.

Key figures such as Thunder general manager and Rockets coach Jordan Robinson helped bridge the gap between community junior rugby and the professional set-up.

While Nokes ended up being released by union side Newcastle Falcons' academy, by that stage he had been bitten by the league bug and was quickly learning the nuances of the game within Thunder's youth system.

"I had a big love for making highlights reels - if you look at my YouTube account from ages ago, you'll see I've made these montages of NRL players," he laughs.

"Suliasi Vunivalu [ex-Melbourne Storm winger] in his first season, and Latrell Mitchell [Australia and Rabbitohs full-back] before he 'blew up' and became a superstar. I'd just look at the top try-scorers that season so I'd have more content, and they were normally outside backs so that gave me a little boost.

"In the academy I worked really closely with the coaches and as soon as I got to first-team level, I'd try to learn off the players ahead of me as much as possible."

Family support for a life-changing move

Nokes' start to life in professional rugby league in England saw him brought into a full-time environment under Eamon O'Carroll and director of rugby Denis Betts at Thunder.

Representing his home city was a source of pride and he scored 10 tries in his 27 matches but, with the future uncertain as the club reverted back to a part-time basis, it was time to chase his greatest ambition.

After a move to Norths Devils fell through, the Jets were able to offer him a playing spot and the journey was to begin.

"I felt I needed to get out of the house anyway, because most of my mates had gone to university," Nokes continued.

"Leaving was emotional but I was just so excited to start something new. And I made sure I had a big leaving do with all of my mates.

"It motivated me seeing the support I get from back home, it's the number one, it's a driving factor for me and I want to do it for Newcastle as well, I love the city."

Different lifestyle, better weather

Nokes has already made an impression at Ipswich with his hard work

Although currently nursing an ankle injury, Nokes has already scored his first try for the Jets and is enjoying life with his new team-mates.

Ipswich's average climate across the year is 23C, much balmier than the chilly winters experienced back home.

Away from the pitch, players at Queensland Cup level not affiliated to NRL teams have to balance playing and working, as part-time footballers.

"I've been working towards my visa," he said. "I'm currently on a working holiday visa, which a lot of backpackers do; I thought - that's the visa I'm after to help me play rugby league at the same time.

"I've been working on a farm, and now I'm working in traffic control which pays the bills."

Rugby league's popularity in Queensland is huge, the State of Origin games with New South Wales pitching the whole region into feverish mood.

The level of attention is far different from that of somewhere like Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where football can feel like the only game in town.

"I knew Australia was rugby league mad but it's not until you get here and see it first hand, it's their equivalent of football and they even call it the same thing," Nokes added.

"That's what they play at school, that's what they play growing up and everyone's just completely involved. Random people, who you wouldn't think had any interest in sport, they knew what the Broncos score was on the weekend."

Getting to grips with a new lifestyle has also meant getting to grips with a new style of rugby league too.

"It's definitely different, it's a bit higher than the Championship, because that league has a big gap between top and bottom and it's money-based," Nokes said.

"Whereas here in Australia, because of that feeder system, all the NRL talent coming back - we played Sunshine Coast recently, and they had eight or so Melbourne Storm players who were coming back.

"I don't feel like they're world beaters, but you can see that quality and feel that standard. Week in, week out, every team has got that kind of calibre of players."

Making a mark for Newcastle

Chris Thorman brought the 'Geordie' accent to Sydney during his time with Parramatta in the NRL

Although his injury for now has forced him to take a step back in recovery Nokes remains positive; there is still much to achieve, to learn and to absorb, and he is grateful for the opportunity.

If he makes the grade he won't be the first Geordie to play in the modern-era NRL, as Chris Thorman already holds that honour with Parramatta.

However he would be the first ex-Thunder player to make the step into that elite group.

"My goal initially was to play one game in QLD Cup, and I've played three so far," Nokes said.

"I just want to keep learning this faster style of rugby league, keep developing myself as a player against the NRL talent coming down.

"Because if I can do it against them then there's no reason why I couldn't do it at the top level in the future."

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