From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Nicholls (born 13 August 1939) is a former
Australian rules footballer
who played for Carlton Football Club in the
1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Carlton
career
The Carlton Football Club recruited Nicholls from the
Maryborough Football Club in 1957, after recruiting his elder
brother Don the previous year, after Nicholls' father ensured that
both brothers would play together at one club.[1] Don who
went on to play 77 senior games as a centreman for Carlton from
1956, when he was Carlton's best first-year player, to 1961.[2]
His immense size, characterised by tree trunk-like legs, earned
Nicholls the nickname "Big Nick."[3]
Nicholls was first made Captain in 1963 for one season, and then
again in 1968, holding the position from then until retirement. In
1972, he became captain/coach of the club, and after retirement as
a player in 1974, continued coaching through 1975.
Nicholls played in three premierships, all as captain:
- 1968 against Essendon;
- 1970 against Collingwood, the game
remembered for Carlton's seven-goal comeback; and
- 1972 as captain/coach, where an
ultra-attacking game-plan against a high-scoring Richmond team saw the
then-highest scoring game in VFL history, and saw
Nicholls kick six goals.[3]
He would also play in three losing Grand Finals:
- 1962, against Essendon;
- 1969, against Richmond; and
- 1973, again as captain/coach,
against Richmond; in which he was felled early by Laurie Fowler,[4] causing
Nicholls to have double vision, and concussing him.
Nicholls finished his VFL career with a then-record 331 games
(three state games played during Carlton games were added to his
328 Carlton games). He played for Victoria 31 times in interstate
football, a record which, due to the lack of top-level interstate
football since 1999, is very unlikely to be broken. Following his
retirement from Carlton, Nicholls coached two seasons with the Glenelg
Football Club, from 1977-78, and one season at the Coburg
Football Club (1981). He also scored 307 goals in his
career.[3]
Honours
Nicholls won the Robert Reynolds Trophy for
Carlton's best and fairest player on five occasions: 1959, only his
third season, and then in 1963, 1965, 1966 and 1967. In the eleven
seasons from 1959 to 1969, Nicholls never placed outside the top
three for the award. The trophy was renamed in Nicholls' honour[5] in
2004. He was also named in Carlton's Team of the Century in the
first ruck.[6]
With the inception of the Australian Football Hall
of Fame, Nicholls was named as one of the twelve inaugural
"Legends."[7] He was
also named in the AFL Team of the
Century, as the resting ruckman in the back pocket, with Graham Farmer
taking the first ruck position.[8]
References
External
Links
| 1968
Carlton Blues Premiership Players |
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| 1970
Carlton Blues Premiership Players |
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| 1972
Carlton Blues Premiership Players |
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