How Redcliffe influenced Nicholls’ retirement plans

Dolphins NRL foundation player Mark Nicholls will farewell fans at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium on Sunday when he plays his last game of the regular season, after announcing his plans to retire today.

The Redcliffe Peninsula is a place he’s now proud to call home ... a factor which weighed heavily on his decision.

The man, affectionately known as the GOAT, will hang up the boots after 15 years in the NRL.

He made his NRL debut for the Canberra Raiders in 2012 and was with the club for three seasons, then one season at the Melbourne Storm in 2017, before moving to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2018 where mentor Wayne Bennett gave him the belief he needed to make his mark in the competition.

Nicholls followed Bennett to the Dolphins for their inaugural 2023 season and has gone on to play 65 games for the club.

He has been an integral part of its leadership group, along with inaugural captain Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi, helping build culture while guiding its rising stars.

Sunday’s game in front of a vocal home crowd, at the Dolphins’ spiritual home, will be his 194^th in the NRL and one to remember.

For Nicholls though it will be hard to top the club’s first game, and win, over the Roosters in 2023.

“That first game, when everyone thought we weren’t going to win a game and the Roosters were going to win the comp, and we came out and won in front of ... there were so many red jumpers. I think that memory will probably stick with me forever,” he said.

The build up to that moment, the coming together of a new squad and the way the community embraced them made it sweeter still.

It’s part of the reason Nicholls, his wife Perrie and their two daughters feel at home on the Peninsula and part of the reason he decided against extending his career in England.

“In the last couple of years, since I’ve come to the Dolphins and Redcliffe ... (I’ve) realised this is where I want to spend the rest of my life,” he explains.

“I had a conversation with Woolfy earlier in the year ... there’s a lot of young guys coming through that are ready to step up. It became apparent that was going to happen, so then it was probably a decision about whether I wanted to go to England or not.

“As the year played out, I sort of decided that I was pretty happy here in Redcliffe. Me and my family have just moved into our new home about a month ago ... that’s been a three-year process, so by the time that happened, my decision was made. I’m pretty content with it.”

The 35-year-old will take on role with the club, similar to that performed by former captain Jesse Bromwich on home game days entertaining corporate guests and sponsors.

“Every time I’ve seen Jesse, he’s had a beer in his hand and a smile, so I’m pretty happy with that,” Nicholls said.

While coaching and giving something back to the game he’s played since he was four years old would appeal to him, he’s keen to stay in Redcliffe and to not have to move his family chasing a gig.

He said his new day job would likely follow a construction or property path after working one day a week in the field for the past few years.

As for his legacy to the Dolphins ...

“The club’s building ... it’s time for these young guys to come through. We’ve had a lot of injuries this year and a lot of young guys have stepped up,” Nicholls said.

“It was probably four years ago now the club was announced and they went and signed all the best 15 and 16-year-olds that they could and now they’re all starting to come through.

“They’re the future of the club. I’m excited to see how the team progresses in the next few years.”

So, what is he most proud of as he reflects on a hard-fought NRL career that started later than most?

“Probably the thing that I’m most proud of in my career is that I didn’t give up. I got to 27, 28 and hadn’t really played a lot of first grade. It took me 18 months to debut, there was twice in my career I went two years without playing NRL games,” he said.

“I got to experience some highlights that I just never thought I would. I still remember ... Perrie and I got my 50^th game jersey framed because I thought that was going to be the highlight of my career. It seemed like such a big achievement.

“If you keep working hard and persevere, you never know what might happen.”