Nic Newman | 2021 Season Review
Written by Ari Stamatakos
SEASON SYNOPSIS
After an injury-interrupted 2020 and Pre-season, Nic Newman made his long-awaited return against the Dees in round 20. It looked like he didn’t miss a beat, having 20 touches and being as good as he was when he got injured. He saw out the season playing very reliable and effective football. Very really making a mistake and doing all the basics well. He had a good balance between attack and defence, helping Weitering and Jones, as well as working in tandem with Zac Williams and Adam Saad on offence. He showed good bouncebackability throughout the year, never getting beaten in consecutive games and elevating from contest to contest. His grunt was on full display, showing toughness in every 50/50 he went into. He averaged, above average in 9 of the 11 ‘disposal’ stats and ranked elite for tackles with 3.9
BEST PERFORMANCE
Nic Newman saved the best till last. When nearly every other player had out the pin in the season and was going through the motions, Newman kept fighting and kept going until the final siren of the season went, not leaving anything behind. This is typified through his best performance of the year, against The Giants in round 23.
He had 27 touches, 88% efficiency, 9 marks, 3 tackles, 7 rebound 50’s, 2 inside 50’s, 6 intercept possessions and 677 metres gained. He, along with Ed Curnow, were clearly how best on the day and Newman in particular, provided spark and dash of the halfback line, more than what we are used to seeing from the normally reserved and unassuming Newman. He, like always provided grit and determination up the ground, pushing up on the wing when in possessions, finding looks inside 50 and getting the ball in dangerous areas of the field, into the hands of the dangerous players. He showed versatility, keeping his man to 1 goal and very little impact elsewhere. The defensive and attacking side of his game both coming out simultaneously is a big plus and something the coaching staff should note for further matches.
OFF-SEASON & 2021 OUTLOOK
Just like plenty, if not all of the defensive group, there is no real major area of improvement. There will be no acquisitions that would take a place from Newman, and considering how versatile and consistent he is, regardless of the new coach, you would think he is a lock in the 22. If Zac Williams is pushed back into the midfield, then it would put more burden on Newman to push up the ground and be an attacking force, which we have seen he is more than capable of doing. However, if he were to do this, he would need to improve his inside 50’s count, which currently stands at 1.1, which is below average for a defender. To put that into perspective, All-Australian Bailey Dale has an inside 50 count of 2.7. So, there isn’t a massive mountain to climb, and we have seen Newman perseverance makes him more than capable of doing that.
2021 REPORT CARD RATING
B
STATUS HEADING INTO 2022
Consistent 22
