Mark Nicoski - Career

Career

Born to Don and Karen Nicoski on 24 November 1983, Nicoski's father was of Macedonian descent, and his mother of Croatian descent. 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.

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, 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. He returned for one WAFL game in round 21, 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. 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.

In an intra-club practice match during the 2006–07 off-season, Nicoski severely dislocated his shoulder, forcing him to miss the first half of the 2007 season. He returned in round 12 against St Kilda, 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. 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. 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, and was awarded the Chris Mainwaring Medal as the Best Clubman at the Eagles' 2010 Club Champion Awards.

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". He played his 100th game for the club against Carlton in round 14, finishing the season with 41 goals, behind Josh Kennedy (59 goals) and Mark LeCras (47 goals) in West Coast's goalkicking. His six goals in the match against Richmond was a career-best. During the 2012 pre-season, Nicoski tore a tendon in his hamstring during the grand final of the 2012 NAB Cup against Adelaide. Initially predicted to miss twelve weeks, he suffered complications after his original surgery which led to a further round of surgery, and was ruled out for the remainder of the season in July 2012.