Nic Newman

Overlooked in multiple national drafts, Nic Newman carved out a professional career the hard way, eventually earning a shot with Sydney via the rookie list in 2015 after impressing for Frankston in the VFL. He spent two seasons developing in the reserves before breaking into the senior side in 2017, where he immediately displayed his capacity as a tidy user of the ball off half-back. Despite showing promise, Newman found himself on the fringe of the Swans' selection by the end of 2018 and sought greater opportunity at Carlton, crossing over for a nominal late draft pick in a trade that would prove to be an astute bargain for the Blues.

While his early years at Princes Park were interrupted by a severe patella tendon injury in 2020, Newman reinvented himself under Michael Voss to become one of the league's most reliable lockdown small defenders. He shifted his primary focus from purely rebounding to quelling the influence of the competition's most dangerous goal-sneaks, a role he performed with a defensive grit that endeared him to the supporter base. This evolution, combined with his vocal leadership and composure with the ball, saw him finish runner-up in the 2023 John Nicholls Medal, cementing his standing as a vital pillar of the Carlton defence.