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| Full name | Mark Robert Nicholls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-01-05)5 January 1990 (age 35) Leeton, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 104 kg (16 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] As of 7 September 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mark Nicholls (born 5 January 1990) is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer.
He played for theDolphins, theSouth Sydney Rabbitohs, theMelbourne Storm and theCanberra Raiders in theNational Rugby League (NRL).
Nicholls was born inWagga Wagga,New South Wales. He played junior rugby league for theLeeton Greenies andGungahlin Bulls, before being signed by theCanberra Raiders.
When the NRL announced its annualAcademic Team of the Year for 2023 in recognition of the educational achievements of current players off-field, Nicholls' academic record included aGraduate Certificate ofProgram Management fromQueensland University of Technology (2021), aDiploma ofBusiness from AustralianVocational Training Company (2013) and aBachelor ofSport Management &Coaching Science from theUniversity of Canberra (2012).[2][3]
From 2008 to 2010, Nicholls played for the Canberra Raiders'NYC team. In a 2009 Holden Cup game v the Wests Tigers, Nicholls scored 4 tries in the Raiders 50-10 victory to announce himself as a player of immense promise.[4][5] In October 2010, he played for theJunior Kangaroos against theJunior Kiwis.[6]
In round 17 of the2012 NRL season, Nicholls made hisNRL debut for the Raiders against theSt. George Illawarra Dragons.[7] He played twelve consecutive games that year, coming off the bench as a prop. In rd 25, 2012 v the Canterbury Bulldogs, Nicholls scored his 1st try in 1st grade. A remarkable solo effort that saw him chip,chase and regather before stepping fullback Ben Barba to score under the sticks.[8][9]
On 25 April 2013, Nicholls re-signed with Canberra on a two-year contract.[10] However, he only played twice for Canberra in those two seasons. Otherwise, Nicholls played for theNew South Wales Residents against theQueensland Residents in July 2014.[11] He played a total of five games for Canberra in 2015.[12]
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In 2016, Nicholls commenced a one-year contract with theMelbourne Storm.[13][14]On 1 February, he was named in the Storm's2016 NRL Auckland Nines squad but did not appear for Melbourne in the2016 NRL season.[15][16]
Nicholls was named in the Storm squad for the2017 NRL Auckland Nines.[17] He made his Melbourne debut against thePenrith Panthers in round 5 of the2017 NRL season. He made a total of nine appearances for Melbourne. The club itself won theminor premiership and the2017 NRL Grand Final; however, Nicholls did not play in the latter.[18]
Nicholls made his South Sydney debut in round 1 of the2018 NRL season, starting at prop in South Sydney's 20–32 loss to theNew Zealand Warriors. He made a total of twelve appearances for South Sydney that season. In the2019 NRL season, South Sydney finished third on the table and qualified for the finals. Nicholls made a total of twenty-four appearances including all three of the club's finals games; one of which was the preliminary final loss against his former club Canberra.[19][20][21][22]
In round 10 of the2020 NRL season, Nicholls scored his first try for South Sydney in their 18–20 loss to theNewcastle Knights atBankwest Stadium.[23] He made a total of nineteen appearances for Souths and played in all three of the club's finals matches including their preliminary final loss to Penrith.[24] In round 24 of the2021 NRL season, Nicholls scored two tries for South Sydney in a 52–12 victory over arch-rivals theSydney Roosters.[25] In round 25, he was named captain for the match againstSt. George Illawarra, after South Sydney chose to restAdam Reynolds in the lead-up to the finals. Nicholls played a total of twenty-seven games for South Sydney in the2021 NRL season including the club's2021 NRL Grand Final loss toPenrith.[26]
In the2022 NRL season, Nicholls scored one try in eighteen games for South Sydney including all three of the club's finals matches when they reached the preliminary final for a fifth straight season. Souths lost the preliminary final 12–32 toPenrith, the eventual premiers.[27]
In January 2022, Nicholls signed a two-year deal with theDolphins from 2023 onwards.[28]He made his club debut for the inaugural Dolphins team in round 1 of the2023 NRL season, scoring a try as the new team pulled off a big upset defeating theSydney Roosters 28–18 atSuncorp Stadium.[29] In round 6, Nicholls captained the Dolphins in their 32–22 win against theNorth Queensland Cowboys atQueensland Country Bank Stadium due to regular captainJesse Bromwich missing the game because of a throat infection.[30]
In round 8, Nicholls scored a try for the Dolphins in their 28–26 victory over theGold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium.[31] During that match, he broke a thumb and subsequently underwent surgery to stabilise the joint, rendering him unfit to play for the next few weeks.[32] Nicholls next played in round 13 and scored a try for the Dolphins in their 26–12 victory over the St. George Illawarra Dragons atKayo Stadium.[33] He finished 2023 with twenty-one appearances, three tries and 93.9% tackle efficiency.[34] In September, the Dolphins' Inaugural Presentation Ball was held atBrisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Nicholls received the club's annual Best Forward award.[35]
On 15 May 2024, Nicholls re-signed with the Dolphins until the end of 2025.[36]Nicholls played a total of 23 games for the Dolphins in the2024 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table.[37]
Nicholls was named in the team to play in round one of the 2025 NRL season, but he later withdrew from the team to protect his home during Tropical Cyclone Alfred.[38] On 4 September 2025, Nicholls announced his retirement from the NRL.[39]
After his retirement from the NRL, Nicholls took up a role as an ambassador with the Dolphins.[40]
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  Canberra Raiders | 12 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2013 | 2 | ||||
| 2015 | 4 | ||||
| 2017 |  Melbourne Storm | 9 | |||
| 2018 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 12 | |||
| 2019 | 24 | ||||
| 2020 | 19 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2021 | 27 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2022 | 18 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2023 |  Dolphins | 21 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2024 | 23 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2025 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| Totals | 194 | 15 | 1 | 62 |
On 2 November 2019, Nicholls married professional model and executive assistant Perrie Davis in the Great Hall at theUniversity of Sydney.[41][42] Perrie is also an accreditedpilates instructor. The couple have two daughters[43] and bought a house in theMoreton Bay region of Queensland in 2022.[44]