Briton Nikora has revealed how a leg injury left him fearing he could miss Cronulla’s finals charge, after being kept off his feet for two weeks while serving a late-season ban.

Nikora has been named to come off the bench again in Friday night’s preliminary final against Melbourne, after losing his starting spot while suspended last month.

The 27-year-old had a less-than-ideal run into the finals, banned from Cronulla’s last three home-and-away matches for a high shot on St George Illawarra’s Corey Allan.

The suspension coincided with a serious corked left thigh, after he suffered blows in successive weeks against North Queensland and the Dragons.

“I thought: ‘It’s a cork right, it’s nothing. A couple of days and I’ll be able to run again’,” Nikora said.

“But I couldn’t bend my leg or

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