On a wet and miserable night in Perth, one of the few positives to come out of the game was the performance of Gold Coast ruckman Tom Nicholls. Up against a man capable of the impossible, capable of turning a game on its head in the blink of an eye, Nicholls got the better of West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui.
 
In just his fourth game back from a posterior cruciate ligament injury which ended his 2014 campaign in round seven, the 23-year-old is building form by the week with his upward trajectory reaching a new level on Saturday night.
 
A glance at his pure numbers only tell a fraction of the tale. Rather, his endeavour in bleak circumstances told the story. From the opening bounce, he fought and willed himself to a victory over the in-form Naitanui with 31 hitouts – 11  to advantage (ranked 5th for round seven) – and a staggering 11 tackles (ranked 3rd).
 
In adverse conditions that were tough for even the most seasoned of players, Nicholls relished the challenge of coming up against quality opposition and is continuing to build confidence in himself and his body.
 
“Personally for me it was a great challenge against Naitanui and Sinclair. Two very strong competitors,” Nicholls told reporters at Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club on Monday.
 
“As you play a few more games you get that confidence back in your body, you get those miles in your legs. It starts to become a bit more comfortable out there for you.
 
“Over in the west, obviously they have a very strong crowd over there so it wasn’t too comfortable, but it was good none the less to get another game under the belt. And I’ll just work on from there and keep bringing that effort.”
 
At 1-6, it’s glaringly obvious that things haven’t gone to plan at Metricon Stadium. A season that loomed so promising has never looked so bleak. But given the horrific spate of injuries in Carrara, the absence of at least half of a first-choice line up, Rodney Eade’s side has been dealt a difficult hand.
 
A glance at the month ahead provides little solace. Collingwood at Metricon Stadium next weekend, followed by Hawthorn in Tasmania and then back-to-back games at home against Sydney and Fremantle is extremely tough.
 
“Rocket addressed that after the game, we do have a tough month coming up. As we’ve been since the Geelong game, we’ve just stuck to the effort side of the game and we’ve tried to build that,” Nicholls said.
 
“Looking forward again, we’ll just try to bring effort – that’s all we can ask with the injuries. We’ve got a tough road ahead but no excuses. We’re looking to go out and do as much damage as we can.”