Daniel Nicholson (No.49)

Career
Debut: 2011
Career matches: 9
Career goals: 2
 
2011
Matches: 9
Goals: 2
Kicks: 64
Marks: 24
Handballs: 52
Disposals: 116
Tackles: 32

Todd Viney’s season assessment
Daniel had a great year as a rookie. He played some senior footy off half-back/wing. He also played some run-with roles. To get what we got out of Nicho was a great result. He has a strong body and a great attitude, so we’ve found a player there.

Round-by-round assessment
Comments made by 2011 Melbourne coaching staff members Mark Williams, Brad Gotch and Kelly O’Donnell

AFL: Round 1 v Sydney Swans
Did not play (played in VFL practice match)

VFL: Round 1 v Geelong
I played Daniel off half-back, but because we were a bit light-on with the midfielders, I threw him through the middle. Daniel was good - he chased, he was hard and he used the ball well. He will be good value long-term I reckon through the midfield. Brad Gotch

VFL: Round 2 v Port Melbourne
Nicholson wasn’t as good as last week, but he wasn’t bad. He played on some good players like Shane Valenti and Adam Bentick and got lost a bit. We put him to half-back and he played much better. He gave us a bit of run with the footy. He had a very quiet first half, but had 12 touches in the second half, which helped spark us. Brad Gotch

VFL: Round 3 v North Ballarat
Daniel played his best game for us, winning 33 possessions. He played on Myles Sewell, who is a Liston Trophy winner. Daniel did a good job on Sewell, who was kept to 19 touches. He also attacked well. We were really pleased with Daniel, who also kicked a goal. Brad Gotch

VFL: Round 4 - Bye

VFL: Round 5 v Frankston
Daniel had another good game. He started on fire, but had quieter patches in the second and last quarter. He wasn’t bad in the third quarter though and was very impressive with his leg speed. Daniel kicked a goal from the midfield, which was a really nice goal from a stoppage. He contested hard and was very physical for a player who has played just a few games. He was again very consistent, as he has been in the past few weeks. Brad Gotch
 
VFL: Round 6 v Northern Bullants   
Dan had a big job on Brock McLean. He had 11 tackles and worked very hard. He wasn’t as dominant as he had been, but I thought he broke even. Brad Gotch

VFL: Round 7 v Bendigo Bombers
Nicho was quiet in the first half. I rotated him with Tom McNamara, which might have thrown him out a bit. But at half-time, I used him more and he just willed himself back into the game. He had 12 possessions in the second half and doubled his output. Brad Gotch

VFL: Round 8 - Bye

AFL: Round 10 v Carlton
In his first match, and although he didn’t have a great amount of time on the ground, Nicho tried really hard to involve himself in the game. He had seven possessions and four tackles. It was good for him to get a taste at the highest level. Mark Williams

AFL: Round 11 v Essendon
Daniel showed fantastic pace and poise for a player in his second game. A few of his switches were outstanding, as was his attack on the ball and some of his presses late in the game. Mark Williams
 
AFL: Round 12 v Collingwood (emergency)

AFL: Round 13 v Fremantle
Daniel provided fantastic rebound off half-back and took the game on at every opportunity. He broke the play up with some good run-and-carry and showed great confidence with a breakaway goal late in the game. This game provided Nicho with valuable experience for the future. Mark Williams
 
AFL: Round 14 v Richmond
Daniel played with confidence, and took the game on, which was what we wanted to see from our youngsters. His defensive game was good, and his offensive from half-back was again a weapon. Mark Williams
 
AFL: Round 15 v Western Bulldogs
Nicho’s physicality was really good, and he had six spoils as a result. He won the ball well, but his disposal let him down. He needed to focus on kicking the ball more and advancing the ball by using his speed. Mark Williams
 
AFL: Round 16 - Bye
 
AFL: Round 17 v Port Adelaide
Daniel was solid off half back, and continued to do the basics well. He provided good rebound, and his defensive positioning was very good. His confidence again built with this match. Mark Williams
 
AFL: Round 18 v Hawthorn
Daniel did some good things and made a few mistakes. He used the ball well when he had the opportunity, and provided good rebound off half-back. He also laid some strong tackles. He continued to move forward as a young defender in his first AFL year. Mark Williams  

AFL: Round 19 v Geelong Cats
His physicality was OK, but he was exposed through his ball use and strength. Mark Williams
 
AFL: Round 20 v Carlton (emergency)/VFL: Round 19 v Sandringham
Daniel wasn’t as clean as he could have been, but he had a really good attitude. With his long raking kick from half-back, he really helped set up a number of attacking moves for us. Mark Williams

AFL: Round 21 v West Coast Eagles
Daniel was subbed on and provided lots of energy. He had seven possessions for the quarter, but let himself down with his ball use. Mark Williams

AFL: Round 22 v Richmond (emergency)/VFL: Round 21 v Werribee Tigers
At times, Dan provided run-and-carry and used the ball efficiently. But he made a lot of kicking errors, which tarnished his game. He ended up with 16 disposals, six team acts and four marks. He played mainly at half-back. Brad Gotch
 
AFL: Round 23 v Gold Coast Suns (emergency)/VFL: Round 22 v Northern Bullants
Dan played back, wing and midfield, which provided good experience for him. He collected 25 possessions, but unfortunately didn’t use them all as well as we would have liked. He worked extremely hard, and looked great at times running with the ball, but needed to remember that the use of it was the important factor. Brad Gotch
 
AFL: Round 24 v Port Adelaide (emergency)

VFL: Semi-final v Werribee Tigers
Daniel took on a specific role in the back half early on, but he moved into the midfield later in the game. He generated some forward scoring opportunities, and never gave in. Kelly O’Donnell