The Warriors five-eighth has copped his share of criticism since shifting to Auckland midway through last season, with most barbs directed at his tendency to switch on and off.

It was a similar story through much of his 4-1/2 seasons at Red Hill, particularly during the latter stages, where he and halves partner Anthony Milford were derided routinely.

Both teams share the second-lowest rung on the ladder ahead of Saturday's clash in Gosford but Nikorima believed the pressure on the Brisbane players and coaching staff would be at another level, particularly on the back of five straight losses.

"I've spoken to Milf, he was one of my closest mates there. I checked in on him two weeks ago to see how he was going," Nikorima said on Friday.

"I've been there before and I know how much pressure there is on that side.

"Obviously we're in the same situation as the Broncos at the moment. They just seem to cop it a lot more than us - being a team that has such high expectations."

Nikorima was squeezed out of Brisbane by salary cap pressure in April 2019 and said he hadn't spoken to Broncos coach Anthony Seibold since.

Australian Associated Press