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Mark Nicholls (rugby league)

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Mark Nicholls
Personal information
Full nameMark Robert Nicholls
Born (1990-01-05) 5 January 1990 (age 34)
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
Height194 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
Playing information
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2012–15 Canberra Raiders 19 1 0 0 4
2016–17 Melbourne Storm 9 0 0 0 0
2018–22 South Sydney 100 6 0 0 24
2023– Dolphins 44 6 0 0 24
Total 172 13 0 0 52
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2015 NSW Residents 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]
As of 8 September 2024

Mark Nicholls (born 5 January 1990) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).

He previously played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Melbourne Storm and the Canberra Raiders in the NRL.

Background

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Nicholls was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. He played junior rugby league for the Leeton Greenies and Gungahlin Bulls, before being signed by the Canberra Raiders.

Education

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When the NRL announced its annual Academic Team of the Year for 2023 in recognition of the educational achievements of current players off-field, Nicholls' academic record included a Graduate Certificate of Program Management from Queensland University of Technology (2021), a Diploma of Business from Australian Vocational Training Company (2013) and a Bachelor of Sport Management & Coaching Science from the University of Canberra (2012).[2][3]

Playing career

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Early career

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From 2008 to 2010, Nicholls played for the Canberra Raiders' NYC team.[4][5] In October 2010, he played for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis.[6]

Canberra Raiders (2012–2015)

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In round 17 of the 2012 NRL season, Nicholls made his NRL debut for the Raiders against the St. George Illawarra Dragons.[7] He played twelve consecutive games that year, coming off the bench as a prop.[8][9]

On 25 April 2013, Nicholls re-signed with Canberra on a two-year contract.[10] However, he only played twice for Canberra in those two seasons. Otherwise, Nicholls played for the New South Wales Residents against the Queensland Residents in July 2014.[11] He played a total of five games for Canberra in 2015.[12]

  • Nicholls in 2009
    Nicholls in 2009
  • Nicholls in 2013
    Nicholls in 2013

Melbourne Storm (2016–2017)

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In 2016, Nicholls commenced a one-year contract with the Melbourne Storm.[13][14] On 1 February, he was named in the Storm's 2016 NRL Auckland Nines squad but did not appear for Melbourne in the 2016 NRL season.[15][16]

Nicholls was named in the Storm squad for the 2017 NRL Auckland Nines.[17] He made his Melbourne debut against the Penrith Panthers in round 5 of the 2017 NRL season. He made a total of nine appearances for Melbourne. The club itself won the minor premiership and the 2017 NRL Grand Final; however, Nicholls did not play in the latter.[18]

South Sydney Rabbitohs (2018–2022)

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Nicholls made his South Sydney debut in round 1 of the 2018 NRL season, starting at prop in South Sydney's 20–32 loss to the New Zealand Warriors. He made a total of twelve appearances for South Sydney that season. In the 2019 NRL season, South Sydney finished third on the table and qualified for the finals. Nicholls made a total of twenty-four appearances including all three of the club's finals games; one of which was the preliminary final loss against his former club Canberra.[19][20][21][22]

In round 10 of the 2020 NRL season, Nicholls scored his first try for South Sydney in their 18–20 loss to the Newcastle Knights at Bankwest Stadium.[23] He made a total of nineteen appearances for Souths and played in all three of the club's finals matches including their preliminary final loss to Penrith.[24] In round 24 of the 2021 NRL season, Nicholls scored two tries for South Sydney in a 52–12 victory over arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters.[25] In round 25, he was named captain for the match against St. George Illawarra, after South Sydney chose to rest Adam Reynolds in the lead-up to the finals. Nicholls played a total of twenty-seven games for South Sydney in the 2021 NRL season including the club's 2021 NRL Grand Final loss to Penrith.[26]

In the 2022 NRL season, Nicholls scored one try in eighteen games for South Sydney including all three of the club's finals matches when they reached the preliminary final for a fifth straight season. Souths lost the preliminary final 12–32 to Penrith, the eventual premiers.[27]

Dolphins (2023–present)

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In January 2022, Nicholls signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins from 2023 onwards.[28] He made his club debut for the inaugural Dolphins team in round 1 of the 2023 NRL season, scoring a try as the new team pulled off a big upset defeating the Sydney Roosters 28–18 at Suncorp Stadium.[29] In round 6, Nicholls captained the Dolphins in their 32–22 win against the North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium due to regular captain Jesse Bromwich missing the game because of a throat infection.[30]

In round 8, Nicholls scored a try for the Dolphins in their 28–26 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium.[31] During that match, he broke a thumb and subsequently underwent surgery to stabilise the joint, rendering him unfit to play for the next few weeks.[32] Nicholls next played in round 13 and scored a try for the Dolphins in their 26–12 victory over the St. George Illawarra Dragons at Kayo Stadium.[33] He finished 2023 with twenty-one appearances, three tries and 93.9% tackle efficiency.[34] In September, the Dolphins' Inaugural Presentation Ball was held at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Nicholls received the club's annual Best Forward award.[35]

On 15 May 2024, Nicholls re-signed with the Dolphins until the end of 2025.[36] Nicholls played a total of 23 games for the Dolphins in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table.[37]

Further information: 2023 Dolphins (NRL) season
Further information: List of Dolphins (NRL) players
  • Nicholls in Brisbane
    Nicholls in Brisbane
  • Nicholls seated on right
    Nicholls seated on right
  • Nicholls (right) in 2024
    Nicholls (right) in 2024

Statistics

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Year Team Games Tries Pts
2012 Canberra Raiders 12 1 4
2013 2
2015 4
2017 Melbourne Storm 9
2018 South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
2019 24
2020 19 2 8
2021 27 3 12
2022 18 1 4
2023 Dolphins 21 3 12
2024 23 3 12
Totals 172 13 52

Personal life

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On 2 November 2019, Nicholls married professional model and executive assistant Perrie Davis in the Great Hall at the University of Sydney.[38][39] Perrie is also an accredited pilates instructor. The couple have two daughters[40] and bought a house in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland in 2022.[41]

References

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  1. ^ "Mark Nicholls - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. 5 January 1990. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. ^ "NRL announce 2023 NRL & NRLW Academic Team of the Year". National Rugby League. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-nicholls13/ [bare URL]
  4. ^ "N". NYC DATABASE. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  5. ^ Jean, David (17 March 2009). "Dream green start just out of reach". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Junior Kangaroos team named". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  7. ^ Dollin, Shawn; Ferguson, Andrew (19 August 2015). "NRL 2012". Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  8. ^ Dollin, Shawn; Ferguson, Andrew (1 September 2015). "Custom Match List". Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Mark Nicholls Player Review". raiders.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.}
  10. ^ "Mark Nicholls re-signs until the end of 2015". NRL - Zero Tackle. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  11. ^ NRL (July 2014). "VB NSW Cup Representative Side - Team Announcement". NSWRL. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Mark Nicholls - Canberra Raiders - NRL.com". 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Storm announce four key signings | NRL". Zero Tackle. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  14. ^ "STORM SIGN RAIDER". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Storm name youthful Nines squad". NRL.com. February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  16. ^ "2016 Downer NRL Auckland Nines Official Squads". NRL. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  17. ^ "2017 Auckland Nines squads: Every player named for the tournament". The Roar. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  18. ^ "NRL: Melbourne Storm defence holds out Penrith Panthers". The Examiner. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  19. ^ "South Sydney Rabbitohs beat Manly Sea Eagles 34-26 in NRL semi-final". ABC. 20 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Rabbitohs dig deep to eliminate Sea Eagles in finals thriller". NRL. 20 September 2019.
  21. ^ "Canberra Raiders end 25-year wait to reach NRL grand final with victory over Rabbitohs". The Guardian. 27 September 2019.
  22. ^ "South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett confirms major changes for Sydney Roosters final". Sporting News. 12 September 2019.
  23. ^ "South Sydney v Newcastle". foxsports.com. 18 July 2020.
  24. ^ "Penrith Panthers beat South Sydney Rabbitohs 20-16 to set up NRL grand final against Melbourne Storm". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 October 2020.
  25. ^ "'Might decimate both teams': Latrell faces big ban for 'enormous' high shot on Manu". foxsports.com.au. 28 August 2021.
  26. ^ "One of finest NRL grand finals of all time provides cure to difficult season". theguardian.com. 3 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Penrith Panthers defeat South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-12 to qualify for third straight NRL grand final". ABC News. 24 September 2022.
  28. ^ "Dolphins set to poach Souths fan favourite Mark Nicholls on multi-year deal: Transfer Whispers". foxsports.com.au. 21 January 2022.
  29. ^ "'I don't want to take the gloss off... but': Kenty's warning for Dolphins after historic first-up win". foxsports.com.au. 6 March 2023.
  30. ^ "Final Team: Bromwich out, Nicholls to skipper". The Dolphins. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  31. ^ "Dolphins v Titans". National Rugby League. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  32. ^ https://www.dolphinsnrl.com.au/news/2023/04/28/dolphins-casualty-ward/ [bare URL]
  33. ^ "Round 13: Dolphins v Dragons | Dolphins". The Dolphins. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Mark Nicholls". The Dolphins. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  35. ^ "Emotional Isaako sweeps Dolphins awards". The Dolphins. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  36. ^ "Nicholls extends until 2025". The Dolphins. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  37. ^ "The Mole's end-of-season review: How one star 'lost his way' as Dolphins struggle with 'demanding' schedule". www.nine.com.au.
  38. ^ "NRL star and his model wife announce pregnancy at their wedding". honey.nine.com.au. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  39. ^ "Inside Perrie & Marks' Chic Sydney wedding | Inspiration | THE DRESS TRIBE". www.thedresstribe.com. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  40. ^ "Bennett's Dolphins deal Nicholls simply couldn't refuse". National Rugby League. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Dolphins players splash out on property in Moreton Bay region - realestate.com.au". www.realestate.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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