- Mark Nicoski
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Mark Nicoski Personal information Full name Mark Nicoski Nickname(s) Nico Date of birth 24 November 1983 Original team Carine JFC Draft #25, 2003 Rookie Draft, West Coast Height/Weight 188 cm / 85 kg Position(s) Half-back flanker, half-forward flanker Club information Current club West Coast Number 6 Playing career1 Years Club Games (Goals) 2004– West Coast 112 (61) International team honours Years Team Games (Goals) 2011 Australia 0 1 Playing statistics to end of 2011 season .Career highlights - WAFL Rookie of the Year 2003
- Subiaco premiership side 2006, 2007
- West Coast Best Clubman 2010
Mark Nicoski (born 24 November 1983) is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League.
Contents
Early career
The son of Don, a Macedonian Australian, and Karen, a Croatian Australian, Nicoski attended Carine Senior High School, where he played for the school's football team, as well as the Carine Junior Football Club. He did not play for Western Australia in the Under-18 National Championships due to injury, but made his senior debut for Subiaco in the West Australian Football League in round 20 of the 2002 season, playing two more games before his club was eliminated by East Perth in the semi-final.[1]
AFL career
Nicoski was recruited by the West Coast Eagles with pick number 25 in the 2003 Rookie Draft. He had a stand-out season for Subiaco in the WAFL, playing 21 games, including the grand final to West Perth, as a half-back flanker. He shared the 2003 WAFL Rookie of the Year Award with Zach Beeck,[2] and was promoted to West Coast's senior list for the 2004 season.
After spending the first four rounds in the WAFL, Nicoski made his debut for West Coast against Carlton in round five of the 2004 season, recording 16 disposals. He played a further 10 consecutive games, as a rebounding defender or on the wing, before injuring his shoulder in round 15 against Hawthorn.[3] He returned for one WAFL game in round 21,[1] but did not play any further AFL games.
Nicoski played for Subiaco for the first two rounds of the 2005 season, before being selected in the Eagles' team for round two against Geelong.[3] He played every game for the rest of the season, kicking 12 goals as a rebounding half-back flanker, and was considered one of the Eagles' best in the club's Grand Final loss to Sydney. Nicoski was in career-best form at the beginning of the 2006 season, and received Brownlow Medal votes for his games against Richmond and Melbourne, before fracturing his ankle against Hawthorn in round 14. He spent 11 weeks on the sidelines, with Subiaco granted special dispensation from the WAFL to allow him to play for the club in the 2006 WAFL Grand Final in an attempt to prove his fitness for the 2006 AFL Grand Final. Nicoski played in Subiaco's premiership win over South Fremantle but was not selected to play in West Coast's premiership-winning team.[1]
In an intra-club practice match during the 2006–07 off-season, Nicoski severely dislocated his shoulder,[4] forcing him to miss the first half of the 2007 season. He returned in round 12 against St Kilda,[3] but re-injured his shoulder in the next game against Adelaide. He returned to the side in round 22, playing the last three games of the season before returning to Subiaco, where he again played in a premiership.[1]
Nicoski played 19 of 22 games in the 2008 season, but was not at his best, and was dropped twice, although he still managed to finish seventh in West Coast's Club Champion Award.[5] He played 13 of the club's first 15 games in 2009, before a groin injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. He returned in round one of the 2010 season, and was switched to a role as a defensive forward, but struggled for form due to his shoulder. He played six games before opting to end his season after round 12 for surgery. He spent spent the rest of the season as a mentor to other small forwards Gerrick Weedon, Ryan Neates and Lewis Broome,[6] and was awarded the Chris Mainwaring Medal as the Best Clubman at the Eagles' 2010 Club Champion Awards.[7]
Nicoski returned to the Eagles' side in the 2011 season as a small forward. He played every game for the club, kicking 41 goals in 25 games including a career-best six goals against Richmond in round 20. Nicoski's form has been described as one of the keys of West Coast's turnaround from 16th place to 4th place over their 2011 season, with assistant coach Peter Sumich describing Nicoski as "the most improved player on our list" and a "brand new footballer".[8] He played his 100th game for the club against Carlton in round 14.[9]
Personal life
Nicoski is currently dating Renae Wauhop, an Australian model and former contestant on The Amazing Race Australia.[10][11] He also serves as an ambassador for the Samaritans Crisis Line, a crisis hotline.[12] He is currently managed by Corporate Sports Australia.[13]
Statistics
- Statistics are correct to end of the 2011 season.
Playing information Totals Averages (per game) Season Team # Games D K H M T G B D K H M T G B 2004 West Coast 31 11 123 74 49 28 21 1 1 11.2 6.7 4.5 2.5 1.9 0.1 0.1 2005 West Coast 31 21 322 202 120 100 38 12 7 15.3 9.6 5.7 4.8 1.8 0.6 0.3 2006 West Coast 31 12 222 146 76 49 21 5 3 18.5 12.2 6.3 4.1 1.8 0.4 0.3 2007 West Coast 6 5 73 41 32 24 4 0 1 12.2 6.8 5.3 4.0 0.7 0.0 0.2 2008 West Coast 6 19 309 185 124 78 31 2 3 16.3 9.8 6.5 4.1 1.6 0.1 0.2 2009 West Coast 6 13 192 112 80 34 21 0 3 14.8 8.6 6.2 2.6 1.6 0.0 0.2 2010 West Coast 6 6 65 33 32 26 11 0 4 10.8 5.5 5.3 4.3 1.8 0.0 0.7 2011 West Coast 6 25 319 214 105 72 70 41 25 12.8 8.6 4.2 2.9 2.8 1.6 1.0 Career 112 1625 1007 618 411 217 61 47 14.5 9.0 5.5 3.7 1.9 0.5 0.4 Legend D Disposals K Kicks H Handballs M Marks T Tackles G Goals B Behinds References
- ^ a b c d Mark Nicoski (Subiaco) – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Zach Beeck player profile – westcoasteagles.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ a b c Mark Nicoski – AFLTables. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Nicoski's rotten injuries – footygoss.com. Published 15 February 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Club Champion Award 1987–2009 – westcoasteagles.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Youth inspires Nicoski – lmsc.com.au. Published 14 February 2011. Written by Melissa Frizz Ferguson. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ LeCras named Eagles' best – heraldsun.com.au. Published 11 September 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Nicoski's back – westcoasteagles.com.au. Published 2 May 2011. Written by Peter Sumich. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Nicoski cracks the ton – The West Australian. Published 24 June 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Renae Wauhop and Mark Nicoski perfectly in tune – perthnow.com.au. Published 27 July 2011. Written by Alex Coetsee. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Renae Wauhop lands her dashing Eagle Mark Nicoski – perthnow.com.au. Published 27 September 2011.
- ^ West Coast Eagle Mark Nicoski joins the Samaritans – thesamaritans.org.au. Published 10 May 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Mark Nicoski (AFL) – csports.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
External links
- Mark Nicoski's profile on the Official AFL Website of the West Coast Eagles Football Club
- Mark Nicoski's statistics from AFL Tables
West Coast Eagles – current squad 1 Brown · 2 LeCras · 3 Gaff · 4 Kerr · 6 Nicoski · 7 Masten · 8 Waters · 9 Naitanui · 10 S. Selwood · 11 Priddis · 12 Sheppard · 13 Shuey · 14 Stevens · 15 Swift · 16 Mackenzie · 17 Kennedy · 18 Dalziell · 20 Cox · 21 Lynch · 22 Neates · 23 Glass (c) · 24 Rosa · 25 Hurn · 26 Butler · 27 Darling · 28 Smith · 29 Lycett · 30 Wilson · 31 Schofield · 32 Embley · 34 Brennan · 35 McGinnity · 37 A. Selwood · 40 Hamp* · 41 Strijk · 42 McGovern* · 43 Hams · 44 Weedon · 47 Stevenson · tbd Hill
Coach: Worsfold
*rookie-listed player
Categories:- West Coast Eagles players
- 1983 births
- Living people
- Australian people of Croatian descent
- Australian people of Macedonian descent
- Australian rules footballers from Western Australia
- People educated at Carine Senior High School
- People from Perth, Western Australia
- Subiaco Football Club players
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