West Coast reveals forward plans for utility Mark Nicoski

[94_Eagles]

Nicoski has been what I like to call 'Jamie Graham'd' for the last few years ie. played some great football in the forward line then suddenly the coaching staff inexplicably thinks they'd be better used down back which they sucked badly at.

Here's to a welcome return to the forward line Nico!

 

[larrikin]

Realistically he'll be competeing witth blokes like Dalziell and Houlihan for a spot, playing that high half forward role that runs all day and gets the quick ball into the 50 for a one on one contest. Masten and Ebert are really there as resting mids, so he's not competing directly with them.

Not a bad option in my mind. Nico can kick the ball long and reasonably accurately, and I can imagine some long running goals from him as well as quick entries. His trouble is and always has been disposal under pressure, which should be less of an issue with the space and time of Wing/HFF.

 

[fryzie]

thankyou

That one went over your head a little huh?

 

[NIS BOTT MK 2]

At the end of the day he really needed to do something to get back to his old form and it seems like a very reasonable move
Plus I always love seeing someone kick a goal from outside 50 ala Hurn and Lynch so why not Nico
But if this move doesnt work I doubt his contract will be extended past 2011

 

[CursoryMercenary]

Should have been de-listed at seasons end but having been retained for 2010 the only way forward for Nicoski is to play him up there. Hopefully the youngsters are given a go ahead of him though.

 

[Bluey_McKenna]

Should have been de-listed at seasons end but having been retained for 2010 the only way forward for Nicoski is to play him up there. Hopefully the youngsters are given a go ahead of him though.

Let's just hope this is a bad dream. Nicoski should not be getting a game period.

 

[Wirra for PM]

Realistically he'll be competeing witth blokes like Dalziell and Houlihan for a spot, playing that high half forward role that runs all day and gets the quick ball into the 50 for a one on one contest. Masten and Ebert are really there as resting mids, so he's not competing directly with them.

The other guy he should be competing with for that HF spot is Embley IMO. Embley played pretty well there at times last year and he always looks dangerous near goals, personally I prefer him playing off HF than the wing, not that there is that much difference between the two nowadays.

The upshot is though I still find it hard to find a spot for Nico in the best 22.

 

[Frodo]

This thread seems weird to me.

Today's footy has very few forwards, in fact there are many times that there is nobody in the 50!

My guess is that we will start with Mckinley and either Cox or NicNat up front.
At HF Kennedy , Hansen and Lecca (who will all be rotated)

The Forwards will be expected to run and chase back. The rest are virtual midfielders or run with players.

So where will Nicoski and Waters Play?

Answer: On their assigned opponents.

Unless Nico gets a handle on the defensive side of his game, opposition coaches will just push his man forward and expose him. Yup Woosha can assign another man but unless he's played as a loose forward I think we can expect him to be mainly in the midfield and defence.

In defence we have heaps of options.

Scooter is the clear back pocket, and Butler proved his class there last year. Glass, Brown and McKenzie are the talls, backed up by Spangher and Schoey. Brett Jones is still a class mid size player, and the likes of Wilkes is also a strong option. Hurn picks himself.

And what of our midfielders, we have heaps of class now and not all will get a game. Kerr, Masten, Priddis, Ebert, Rosa, Swift, Shuey, Dalziel, Embers, Houlihan, Lynch, McGinnity, Selwood A.
Then we're adding Nico and Waters.
Shit, add the new guys and we've almost got a team of midfielders.

 

[ndot]

i guess having nicoski miss targets up forward will be less costly to us than having him miss targets down back

 

[fryzie]

i guess having nicoski miss targets up forward will be less costly to us than having him miss targets down back

I was talking to a mate about this yesterday and to a degree that was basically my argument in favour of this move. e.g. Nico gets the ball outside 50, turns and bombs it toward the goals.

1/5 Shots goes through for a goal
1/5 Shots goes through for a behind
1/5 Shots goes out on the full
1/5 Shots goes to a contest
1/5 Shots goes to an opposition player

While it's not 5/5 goals I can definately live with that over persisting with him in the backline where those 2 scoring shots in the forwardline would likely become turnovers.

 

[Marlin01]

I think a lot of the reason Nicoski looked so flustered last season, is the fact that he never really had his body right. When he came into the team he knew his preparation wasn't up to it and he never felt confident. The fact the Eagles offered him 2 years suggests that he should be able to overcome his injuries and play some good footy.

I still think he can recapture the form he showed as a youngster and I expect to see some scything runs that turn opposition defences inside out, capped off with penetrating left-foot roosts straight through the big sticks.

 

[tesseract]

The only time Nicoski should be in the forward line is when he's running and carrying out the drinks to our forward line players.