Old Nicoski Articles

Old Mark Nicoski articles I found. So so sad.

Depths of despair
10:46:03 AM Sun 25 September, 2005
Jason Phelan
Sportal for afl.com.au
West Coast youngster Mark Nicoski has offered a rare insight into the emotional rollercoaster that Grand Final day presents to an AFL footballer.

The 21-year-old felt both dizzying highs and crushing lows on the day and he recalled running onto the MCG in front of nearly 92,000 fans with awe.

"I was living a childhood dream to be honest with you," Nicoski said after the match.

"I'm an Eagles supporter, I've grown up in W.A., so to be representing the club in a Grand Final (was) just an amazing feeling.

"It's like (the) Coliseum, there's just no words to describe it. The amount of people watching you - it's an amazing feeling and it's one that I hope I can get again."

The young midfielder also plumbed the depths of despair after his side fell agonisingly short of premiership success - losing a titanic struggle with Sydney by just four points.

"Numb is probably the best word to describe it," he said of how he felt after the final siren.

"Just seeing a group of guys so jovial and another group of guys so down - it's hard to comprehend what happened. I've been watching Grand Finals for 21 years now and I always used to wonder why the team that lost was so disappointed.

"Playing a full season of footy - it's my first full season of AFL footy - you understand how much work goes into getting into a Grand Final and I think that's probably the main reason why the team that loses is so disappointed.

"We've ended up finishing second, but we know that if we put in the same amount of work and then a little bit more, we're going to have another opportunity."


GF closure for Nicoski
2:46:43 PM Thu 16 February, 2006
Justin Chadwick
Exclusive to afl.com.au
West Coast defender Mark Nicoski is looking forward to the upcoming season, eager to erase the pain from last year's four point grand final loss to Sydney.

The pacy left-footer was fantastic in the biggest game of the year, collecting 17 possessions and bobbing up for a vital goal.

"By the end of the grand final feeling so hollow, I sort of realised why that was and it was because of the amount of hard work that went into getting us there," he said before training on Wednesday.

"When you get to the Grand Final and you miss out by four points, you understand why everyone's so disappointed because it's a mighty effort to get there and it's an even bigger effort to win it."

"That's been burning in my stomach since last year and I can't speak for everyone, but I'm pretty sure for a lot of the guys it will still be in the back of their thoughts."

Nicoski said he has since watched a replay of the grand final, treating it as part of the closure process.

"The whole day and the whole week was such a big blur that I couldn't really remember it and I just wanted to watch it to see what sort of happened and what went right and what went wrong," he said.

"I know a couple of guys haven't bothered to put the tape in but for me it was more of a closure thing."

"It has happened now and I just wanted to watch it again to see areas that I could have improved on in my game and areas we could have improved on as a team."

After an excellent 2005 season in which he played 21 games including three finals, Nicoski believes he is ready to take another step forward and wants to cement himself into the squad.

"Hopefully I can offer the coaching staff what I offered last year plus some more," he said.

"We've got such a young and talented side that to be a part of it again for another full year would be fantastic."

"I've improved my strength and my weight gain out of sight in the three or four years I've been down here."

"They're all positives so I'm looking forward to the season."