Who is John Nicholls?!

My hero and the greatest player I ever saw in the Old Dark Navy Blue; John Nichols.

What a @#$%&! legend!!

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Page 60 of "Big Nick"

"At his peak he wasnt far behind Farmer and Schultz, but Thompson has been disappointing. Perhaps concentration, perhaps because of too much money being involved at Collingwood and maybe through poor handling by Collingwood coaches - but the fact is he hasnt reached the heights he should have ... or maybe he is still subject to blackouts like the day he fainted at Carlton."

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

I saw Big Nick being rubbed down in the rooms at half time as a kid, and
his legs were like tree trunks.
In those days, 6'2"" was a reasonable height for a ruckman. Nick mainly used his left hand to palm, particularly around the ground.
He beat Farmer most of the time around the ground.
Carlton really went to get his brother, and they also took this big fat kid
who turned out to be one oif the best ever.


.

Great article by Wallsy.

Please don't ever get me going on John Nicholls face to face unless you have a bit of tme to spare. He was my hero as a kid. I had his number on my locker at boarding school. In our boarding house we were allowed to paint the old wooden lockers with our club colours. Probably the only thing holding them together, the paint.

I saw Him play a few times, including the 68 GF against Don McKenzie of Essendon*, another short ruckman of the era and a good one as well. My impression of Him was as for a few other posters, those tree trunks He called thighs.

My dad told me, but I never heard it, that because Nick had done time in Pentridge for some misdemeanour, that opposition cheersquads and supporters used to sing a popular song called, "Put another nickel in the nickelodeon," substituting his name for the word, nickel'.

I reckon His best ever game was the 72 GF as Wallsy has stated, not only as a player but because He orchestrated the amazing turnaround from the 2nd semi. If you look at it you will see His amazing vertical leap, propelled by His mighty tree trunks as He takes marks in the forward line. He only ever kicked flat punts but they were deadly, even from the angle.

There is classic footage of Big Nick running for a boundary throw-in where He points to a spot on the ground during the runup and then delivers the ball to the exact spot. He was so strong he used to jump beside a player and by pushing with one arm across the chest, gain the front position in mid-air and palm the ball with the other, no matter which side.

One thing about Him, he used to put the ball away from the contest, unlike most modern rucks who put the ball almost at their feet, in the middle of the pack.

I was once in a corporate area of the MCG with Blue Beatle when Big Nick walked towards us and brushed past me. I turned to Beatle and said, "I touched His coat!" Big Nick obviously heard me because he turned towards me and gave me a big smile. I was so chuffed. I must have been about 54 at the time! Felt about 14. One thing I did notice were his eyes. Wallsy called them blue but they may have faded. They are almost colourless or were in that light, maybe greyish.

I am pleased He and Polly are so close together on this latest attempt to name the best ever. It is true that people used to go to the footy just to watch them play against each other. Had they been listed with Polly at 4 and Nick at 5 I wouldn't have complained but I am glad it is as it is.

He will always be for mine, the greatest Carlton player ever to pull on the jumper and when I saw him again at the final game at PP, it almost brought a tear to my aging eyes.

Do yourselves a favour and buy a copy of the 72GF , just to watch Big Nick in action. Wallsy and Jezza are in it too so it's great value for money. Oh, and remember he was about 32 at the time and probably past his physical best.

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

I love this

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

Is there any truth in this?? The rumour that Big Nick spent time in prison has been around for more than 40 years , but I have never seen any evidence of this.

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Hooked on The Blues

Awesome post, Sombrero!

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Unfortunately John did get into trouble when he was a bank teller for the SSB.
Luckily for him that great Calton man Sir Kenneth Luke got him off.

Regretably Nicholls also had a few other "issues" through the 70's primarily i think as a response to his liking for the nags.

All that aside i started watching the Blues in the early 60,s and saw every game of his from that time on.

To my mind he is the greatest and most influential Blue of them all.

There has never been anyone that has had the onfield presence as Nick did.

Think Greg Norman and the aura he has on a golf course and that was Nicholls!

One of the saddest days of my life was John Nicholls resignation as Coach just prior to the 1976 season - had he continued would we still be ruing the 1 point loss to North Melbourne in the Preliminary Final or perhaps celebrating another premiership.

His resignation in 1976 was more to do with non football issues and one day may be told in another thread.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Interesting that you mention 1976 Agro.

I always regards that as the year that should have been.

Open the year with 7 wins before a mid-season slump of 5 staright losses before cruising home undefeated and claiming top spot.

Unfortunately we lost 2 close finals in crappy conditions at Waverley.

At the post-match do at the last ever game played at PP in 2005, I sidled up to the Great One, (very inebriated, I might add!) and said, "Your Lordship!" Much to his obvious chagrin, I asked for photographs (which he generously complied with! ) and he said to me,"Now, look after yourself!" One thing I did notice, he was sizing me up as if we were going at a boundary throw-in together- seriously, he, to me, is what Carlton is all about!

People rave on about Robert Harvey and his unstinting loyalty to the Saints- but Nicholls was supreme. He played for Carlton during the down times, stepped aside for Barass and learnt off him on "how to win premeirships" and duly won three before retiring (or resigning @ GH's behest).

I always regard the mid 70s as "the wasted years - 73 to 78", and being an extremely passionate Carlton supporter growing up in my early to late teens (11 to 16) and always wearing my heart on my sleeve I took all losses to heart and was very easy pickings at an eastern suburbs High School (which was curiously devoid of much Carlton Support).

The 1979 flag (in my HSC year) was celebrated with much gusto and triumph by yours truly (and sticking it up a few Collingwood Class Mates who used to make my life a living hell was all the more sweet )- and the euphoria of it is something that I will always remember.

It is also why I hold Jezza in just as high esteem as Big Nick.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Southby-itis, which we caught in the 1973 GF, and didn't completely recover from until Jezza cured us in 1978. It's why I believe the 1979 premiership is the most important in Carlton's history. Had we lost that game, we might have been doomed to a Collingwoodesque fifty years in the wilderness.

I've always thought that also - we should have won at least 1 Flag in that period.

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Hooked on The Blues

The 90s were as wasted as those years.

We like to stick it to Scum supporters for the 98-2001 period, but we wasted as many years as they did from 93-99.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

awesome post, Blue Sombrero!!!

i havent been on this site for very long, but i have read a lot of posts, and this is the best i can remember. i remember those very same feelings when i was a kid, but if i could have them at 54, i think i would be doing well. its great to read that your passion for the player and club has not diminished over all of those years, and one can almost feel the respect and emotion coming off the screen when your post is read. i hope you manage to hold those memories for a very long time!!!

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my last one was rubbish

Thanks. So do I. I've got a daughter who is 17 months old. I think I have to live to 80 to see her through primary school....

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

Yep I second this BS - a great post. I am from South Australia originally and I remember the great State games and the end of year slug-outs between SA and Vic grand finalists in the early 70's. If my memory serves correct North Adelaide beat Carlton by a point in '72. North Adelaide had a great footballer at the time by the name of Barry Robran.

Memory lane!

a mate of mine 'sees' him on a daily basis, unfortunately the call of the punt is strong,

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world