Mark Nicoski (born 24 November 1983) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who previously played with the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). From

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Western Australia, Nicoski first played for in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL "waffle" or "W-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting f ...

(WAFL), before being recruited by West Coast in the 2003 Rookie Draft. Promoted from the

rookie list The rookie list is a means for Australian Football League (AFL) clubs to maintain additional players outside the 38-man primary or senior list. Category B rookie-listed players are not eligible to play in AFL home-and-away or finals matches unle ...

prior to the 2004 season, he made his debut for the club in round five, and became a regular in the side the following season as a half-back flanker, playing in West Coast's grand final loss to . In 2006, Nicoski fractured an ankle midway through the season, and thus missed out on playing in the club's premiership victory. Over the next seasons, shoulder and groin injuries restricted his time on the field, but in 2011 he took up a different role in the team, kicking 41 goals playing as a forward. Nicoski also represented

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in the

2011 International Rules Series The 2011 International Rules Series (officially the 2011 Toyota International Rules Series) was the 16th International Rules Series contested between Gaelic footballers from Ireland and Australian rules footballers from Australia. The series was ...

. However, after serious injuries, including a torn hamstring during the final of the 2012 pre-season tournament, he did not play at AFL level over the following two seasons. Having played 112 games for West Coast, Nicoski retired from the AFL at the end of the 2013 season.

Football career

The son of Don and Karen Nicoski, Nicoski has

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

heritage on his father's side and Croatian heritage on his mother's side.Nicoski cracks the ton
– ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

''. Published 24 June 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011. 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 in the

in round 20 of the 2002 season, playing two more games before his club was eliminated by in the semi-final.Mark Nicoski (Subiaco)
– wafl.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2011. Nicoski was recruited by the

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 , 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 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 .Mark Nicoski
– AFLTables. Retrieved 10 October 2011. 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 . 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 . Nicoski was in career-best form at the beginning of the 2006 season, and received

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...

votes for his games against and , before fracturing his ankle against 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 The 2006 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 2006. It was the 110th annual grand final of the Austral ...

. Nicoski played in Subiaco's premiership win over 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 , but re-injured his shoulder in the next game against . 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 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, 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 the rest of the season as a mentor to other small forwards

Gerrick Weedon Gerrick Peter Weedon (born 25 May 1991) is an Australian rules footballer who previously played with the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Or ...

Ryan Neates Ryan Neates (born 21 June 1991) is an Australian rules footballer currently listed with the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), having previously played with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football Le ...

and

Lewis Broome As of Round 8 2025, a total of 300 players have played at least one senior game for the West Coast Eagles, an Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League. A number of other players were listed (or are listed) with the club f ...

, 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 in a new role as a small forward. He played every game for the club, kicking 41 goals in 25 games. Nicoski's form was described as a factor in West Coast's turnaround from last place to fourth place over the season, with assistant coach

Peter Sumich Peter Lori Sumich (born 11 January 1968) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the Australian Football League (AFL) and in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. Sumich made his debut for ...

nominating him as "the most improved player on our list" and a "brand new footballer". He played his 100th game for the club against in round 14, finishing the season behind Josh Kennedy (59 goals) and Mark LeCras (47 goals) in West Coast's goalkicking. His six goals in the round 20 match against was a career-best. During the 2012 pre-season, Nicoski tore a tendon in his

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

during the grand final of the 2012 NAB Cup against . 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. Under new rules introduced by the AFL from the end of the 2012 season onwards, Nicoski was for a time listed as an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, but signed a one-year extension to his contract with West Coast in October 2012. Due to further complications with his hamstring, he did not play during the early 2013 season, and he was placed on the club's long-term injury list in March 2013, with Callum Sinclair elevated to the senior list in his place. Having not played for 14 months, Nicoski returned to football in May 2013, playing for Subiaco's reserves team. In a WAFL game the following month, Nicoski was again injured when an opposition landed heavily on his wrist, necessitated season-ending surgery. With his contract expiring at the season, he chose to retire from the AFL, although it is unclear whether he will continue playing for Subiaco. He and teammate

Adam Selwood Adam Murray Selwood (1 May 1984 – 17 May 2025) was an Australian rules footballer who played 11 seasons for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Bendigo, Victoria, Selwood was recruited by West Coast ...

retired on the same day, having been recruited to West Coast at the same time.

Personal life

Nicoski serves as an ambassador for the Samaritans Crisis Line, a

crisis hotline A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers. The first such service was founded in England in 1951 and such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the E ...

. He is currently managed by Corporate Sports Australia. Beginning in October 2011, Nicoski has been an occasional presenter on ''Greenfingers'', an Australian gardening show broadcast on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

.Alice Baxter (2011)
Eagle a rookie on garden show
– ''The West Australian'' online. Published 3 October 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2013.

Statistics

: ''Statistics correct as of 15 August 2013.'' , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, , , 31 , , 11 , , 1 , , 1 , , 74 , , 49 , , 123 , , 28 , , 21 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 6.7 , , 4.5 , , 11.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, , , 31 , , 21 , , 12 , , 7 , , 202 , , 120 , , 322 , , 100 , , 38 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 9.6 , , 5.7 , , 15.3 , , 4.8 , , 1.8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, , , 31 , , 12 , , 5 , , 3 , , 146 , , 76 , , 222 , , 49 , , 21 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 12.2 , , 6.3 , , 18.5 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, , , 6 , , 5 , , 0 , , 1 , , 41 , , 32 , , 73 , , 24 , , 4 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 6.8 , , 5.3 , , 12.2 , , 4.0 , , 0.7 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, , , 6 , , 19 , , 2 , , 3 , , 185 , , 124 , , 309 , , 78 , , 31 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 9.8 , , 6.5 , , 16.3 , , 4.1 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , , 6 , , 13 , , 0 , , 3 , , 112 , , 80 , , 192 , , 34 , , 21 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 8.6 , , 6.2 , , 14.8 , , 2.6 , , 1.6 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, , , 6 , , 6 , , 0 , , 4 , , 33 , , 32 , , 65 , , 26 , , 11 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 5.5 , , 5.3 , , 10.8 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, , , 6 , , 25 , , 41 , , 25 , , 214 , , 105 , , 319 , , 72 , , 70 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 8.6 , , 4.2 , , 12.8 , , 2.9 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 112 ! 61 ! 47 ! 1007 ! 618 ! 1625 ! 411 ! 217 ! 0.5 ! 0.4 ! 9.0 ! 5.5 ! 14.5 ! 3.7 ! 1.9

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoski, Mark West Coast Eagles players 1983 births Living people Australian people of Croatian descent Australian people of Macedonian descent Australian rules footballers from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Carine Senior High School Sportsmen from Western Australia Subiaco Football Club players Australia international rules football team players 21st-century Australian sportsmen