General News
2 August, 2024
Big Nick: Fearless and feared champion - By Brian Lennen
John Robert Nicholls is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play Australian rules football in the VFL.
Raised on a farm at Cotswold on the edge of Maryborough and attending Craigie Primary School — a small rural school of about 20 students, he honed his sporting skills in the schoolyard and the farm paddocks.
He played tennis successfully and his photo hangs proudly in the Maryborough Tennis clubrooms, playing for VRI.
He followed his brother, Don, to Carlton Football Club in 1957 at the insistence of their father.
Don, highly regarded by local devotees, was a centreman who played 77 senior games from 1956 (the Melbourne Olympic year) to 1961.
Apparently the Melbourne Football Club had the front running but wouldn’t match Carlton’s offer thus missing out on both brothers. Carlton guaranteed Don six matches.
John, although not tall at 189 centimetres, was powerfully built with massive legs and a tree-truck body which belied his athletic ability.
He imposed his presence on all players with his strength and intelligence and was known as “Big Nick”! He was remarkably agile for his size.
The late Brownlow Medal winner and Collingwood champion Len Thompson, told me that he once had the audacity to thump Nicholls at a throw in. At the next bounce he was carried off unconscious on a stretcher.
Like his brother Don he won Carlton’s best first year player in 1957 (Don was the winner of this award in 1956).
As a teenager I watched in awe as John did battle with Fitzroy’s Alan Gale (a battle of the Titans) at Brunswick Street.
From here John’s career blossomed and in 1959 he won his first of five best and fairests.
In 11 seasons from 1959 to 1969 he never finished outside the top three.
John’s career consisted of over 360 games including representative matches (a record 31 for Victoria and seven for Australia).
He boasted three premierships, the most notable being in 1972 where he achieved the distinction of captain/coaching Carlton to a premiership (a feat unlikely to be repeated).
John told me that he was paid about three times the average wage and had a handful of coaching assistants (the current side has over 30 specialist coaches).
The 1972 season had a remarkable finals series — Carlton and Richmond drew the second semi-final and had a replay in which Carlton were beaten substantially by 41 points.
Carlton were not over-impressive in overcoming the star-studded St Kilda by 16 points in the preliminary final.
The well-rested Richmond side went into the grand final as short priced favourites.
John had a plan (pure genius) — Carlton would adopt a policy of “all out attack”, with Nicholls stationed in the forward pocket and “Percy” Jones in the ruck. Carlton kicked a record grand final score of 28.9. Both Nicholls and Robert Walls (also of local origins) kicked six goals in a 27 point win.
John’s other distinctions were winning the Simpson Medal for best afield against Western Australia in Perth; and he was runner-up to Ian Stewart in the 1966 Brownlow Medal count.
John was selected in the AFL team of the Century and was the inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, along with the Carlton Team of the Century. He was named in the 1966 and 1969 All Australian teams.
John has retained his passion for the Blues, expressing his displeasure at its administrators.
He also hasn’t forgotten his roots, making himself available if needed. He has been a great supporter of the local