NICOLAIDES REACHES GAME 300
By: Kirstie Fitzgerald
For Sunshine Heights captain Michael Nicolaides, reaching his 300th game this Saturday means more to him than just a title, but an accumulation of years of hard work and commitment.
“300 games for me means 300 memories full of blood, sweat and tears,” Nicolaides says.
“Growing up as a kid playing football, I admired Daniel Xuereb, Robert Greto and Nick Mallia, three legends of our club who have all reached 300 games and now to have my name alongside these blokes who I now call my brothers means the world to me.”
Dedicating his achievement to his younger cousin Costa, Nicolaides says the millstone is an incredible honour.
“I feel blessed to have reached 300 games playing alongside my cousins for most of my career, in particularly my younger cousin Costa Kyriacou who is my number one fan who I strive to impress each week.
“Whether it is providing feedback about my performances or buying me orange flavoured Powerade to ensure I am hydrated, Costa is the one who motivates me to become the best player I can be and so I dedicate this milestone to him.”
Lacing up the boots when he was just seven years old, Nicolaides took to the game like a duck to water, achieving many awards as a junior, including multiple best and fairests, junior interleague representative squad selections as well as the honour of captaining every junior team he has been involved with.
Spending time in the Western Jets development squad, Nicolaides says that his confidence on the field came by playing as much football as possible, both in his regular team and in the higher grades.
“Often, I would play under 14s and then double up and play U16s or sometimes I would play U18s and double up and play seniors.
“I really enjoyed playing those senior games as an 16,17,18 year old because I always felt I had something to prove and it was a really enjoyable time during my career.”
Despite winning the Division Two 2008 senior premiership and awarded the league’s best and fairest award in 1999 and 2005, Nicolaides says his greatest achievement came when he was awarded the inaugural Robert Harvey Award.
“Still to this day, I regard Harvey as the most influential player I have seen and a player I regard as an all time legend,” Nicolaides recalls.
Yet his journey over the past two decades hasn't been an easy one, sustaining a number of injuries which saw him question his ability to continue to play the sport he loves.
“I tore my PCL and wrist ligaments which saw me sit out most of the 2011 season and then in the last practice match of 2012 before Round 1, I injured the same knee tearing my ACL and missed yet another year.
“I was devastated and thought my career may have just been cut short but the decision to retire was not a decision I was ready to make.”
Using his time on the sidelines to help establish an Auskick program with fellow club mate Michael Grima, Nicolaides says the passion for the game spurred him on to lace up the boots once again.
“Knowing I still had a love of playing football, I sought the right rehab and strengthened my body up and returned to playing football in season 2013 which has seen me back it up this year playing football at my best.”
At the age of 27, the thought of retirement is the furthest thing from Nicolaides’ mind, but he confesses that once that time does come, he won’t be leaving the club anytime soon.
“I am a Dragon for life,” he says.
“For me, it is about giving back to the club and community and at the moment we have very little juniors, so it will be my goal to ensure that we remain strong in the junior development of our club so others can have the same joy I have experienced in my football career.”
Sunshine Heights will run out at Ainsworth Reserve this Saturday against Wyndhamvale, with the Reserves kicking off at 12noon, followed by the seniors at 2:15pm.
Last Modified on 19/06/2014 12:57