WHEN Jayden Nikorima had to ask a charity for funds to pay for his shopping, he knew things were as bad as they could get.
Now he is a Bradford player, he can put the trials and tribulations he and others went through at Salford behind him.
The half back found himself caught up in the mess caused by former owners Isiosaia ‘Sire’ Kailahi and Curtiz Brown.
What was paid is probably harder to identify than what was not – wages, income tax and pension contributions certainly were not, at least on time.
That led to huge financial strain on those powerless as the Red Devils eventually went under. No sign of an end meant drastic steps like asking Rugby League Cares to meet his grocery bill.
“There were definitely heaps of times when we wondered how we’d pay the bills,” said Nikorima.
“There were tough times, especially not being paid or not knowing if you’re going to get paid.
“I’ve definitely had money owed. Fortunately, thanks to the government, we got a bit of the money back, but it wasn’t all of it.
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“When you sign a contract, you’re hoping to get all that money back, especially with having kids. On the back of that, we had flights back to Australia to see our family that didn’t get honoured.
“The club went under and we usually go back at the end of the season, but that happened before we were meant to travel.
“A few things in the contract didn’t get honoured. Thankfully, Rugby League Cares reached out and gave us a helping hand. They were awesome for us and the support of our family back in Australia helped us through.
“Now not having all the background noise of if we’re getting paid or not helps.”
Nikorima is one of several Salford players to have followed coach Kurt Haggerty to Bradford.
Now after a calf injury, the 29-year-old made an instant impact with two debut tries in the Bulls’ win over Huddersfield.
And as he heads to Castleford tonight, he hopes to make the best of a new start on the pitch after more off field news – a second child, Atlas, and moving to Yorkshire.
He added: “I’ve just been enjoying my life. I feel like this is home for me and I’ve a bit of a spring in my step at the moment.
“I’m living in Leeds and my son, Marley, is in school now. He plays in a few sports and we’ve finally found our feet here.
“Now I feel like we’re just flying. We’ve been through the tough times.”
