AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
Full name
Matthew Nicks
Known as
Matthew Nicks
Born
13 May 1975 (age 48)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 20y 337d
Last game: 30y 22d
Height and weight
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 88 kg
Jumper numbers
Sydney: 36, 23
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sydney | AFL | 1996-2005 | 175 | 125 | 0.71 | 55% | 9.38 | 4.23 | 4.09 | 31 |
Australia | IR | 2001 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Total | 1996-2005 | 176 | 125 | 0.71 | — | — | — | — | — |
AFL: 10,684th player to appear, 922nd most games played, 844th most goals kickedSydney: 1,271st player to appear, 49th most games played, 55th most goals kicked
After playing just twice for West Adelaide in 1994 Matthew Nicks was drafted by Sydney. He made his senior AFL debut for the Swans in round three 1996, having spent the majority of the 1995 season recovering from a broken leg. Mostly used across half back, he could also do a more than serviceable job as a forward. Quick and agile, he was a decent mark for his height (185cm). Between 1997 and 2004 he was an almost permanent senior player, despite being inconvenienced by pneumonia in 2000, and a broken finger in 2001. He played the last of his 175 AFL games in round 10 2005 against St Kilda. His career tally of 125 goals confirms his value when used in an attacking role.
After retiring as a player Nicks embarked on a coaching career which included stints as an assistant at Port Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney before accepting the top job at Adelaide in 2020.
Author - John Devaney