How Tom Nicholls plans to reignite AFL career after two years off the biggest stage

NEW Suns coach Andrew Swallow may hold the key to a long-awaited return to the AFL for forgotten ruckman Tom Nicholls.

NEW Suns coach Andrew Swallow may hold the key to a long-awaited return to the AFL for forgotten ruckman Tom Nicholls.

Nicholls may face the biggest battle of all to end his two-year absence from the top level.

The 26-year-old stands behind towering 208cm tall Jarrod Witts, a man who has played 40 games since arriving before the 2017 season — five games short of Nicholls tally of 45 in his eight years at the Suns — is in the leadership group and considered among the potential captaincy candidates for 2019.

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Nicholls has been a specialist ruckman and Gold Coast also have the likes of forwards Peter Wright, Sam Day and Brayden Crossley who can spend time in the ruck when Witts is off the ground.

The 203cm Nicholls said Swallow, who has joined Gold Coast as a specialist tackling and stoppage coach, had become the unlikely figure who could reignite his AFL career.

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Swallow was part of a midfield who played around 2015 All-Australian ruckman Todd Goldstein and has been working with Nicholls, who has battled injury in recent years, one-on-one to improve his game.

“I still see myself as a specialist ruckman so that will be my no.1 priority, to get that spot back,” Nicholls said.

“Wittsy has had a monster couple of seasons and played some awesome games for the club.

“He has been the most consistent ruckman we have ever had so my work is cut out for me.

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“I have been doing a bit of vision with Andrew and hearing it from his perspective as a midfielder and what he used to see from his ruckman has given me a few tips and tricks that I has already helped at training.

“I’m looking forward to venturing into some uncharted territory and seeing how good I can get.”

Nicholls has also been working with forward coach Ash Prescott to improve his game in front of goal while he declared he was as fit as he had ever been after working under national-level distance runner Jacko Elliott’s Gold Coast Run Co squad with fellow Suns teammates.