William Eddie Nicholls #86

William Eddie Nicholls #86

Honour them all.

When Shaquai Mitchell ran on the field for South Sydney in Round 1 against the Sharks this year he had the number 17 on his back. There is another number he carries, Rabbitohs first grade player number #1178.

Every one of the 1190 players who have played for this club has a story. Some, like John Sattler, are well known. Some are not. I suppose I could do a ‘Remembering a Rabbito’ for every player. But to do this, especially for those who have low numbers AND were not household names, you need the help of relatives who honour the memory of someone who proudly pulled on a South Sydney jersey. Even if this was for only a few games. One such player was William Eddie Nicholls #86.

The Dog Walk

Every morning at Moss Vale (and it can get ‘slightly’ chilly in the mornings sometimes) I take my dog for a walk around where I live. Naturally I wear my Souths beanie. You get to chat with people on occasions. One morning I was chatting to a bloke who noticed said beanie. “You know” he said, “My wife’s grandfather played for Souths in 1916 and 1917 and we have a medallion.” My ears pricked up with interest. This lovely medallion was from the League Cup from 1917 – a knock out competition for Reserve Grade on similar lines to the City Cup. So what is the story?

Eddie’s Life Outside Football

William Nicholls was known through his life as ‘Eddie’. Eddie was born on 19th November 1892 at Kensington. He was a butcher, same as George Treweek. Later on in life he ran the general store at Brooker Bay. He had a son Philip who went to Gosford H.S.

Below are some family photos supplied by Eddie’s granddaughter Susan who lives in Moss Vale with her husband Rex, a gentleman who served his country with distinction as a pilot in the R.A.A.F., flying Caribous and Hercules aircraft around the time of the Vietnam War.

One of Susan’s daughters has done a lot of research on Eddie’s life. Why names are not included in the last photo is because, like a lot of families, the lovely people who took the photo did not include names on the back. I can relate to that!

Eddie’s South Sydney Career

Eddie Nicholls played 7 first grade regular games and 3 while on a tour. His first game was in 1914 while on tour and is rewarded with the #86 player to don the red and green. During 1916 Eddie played six games in first grade, the most of any year. In round 1 Eddie played on the wing and scored a try in a 20-0 win over Newtown at Erskineville Oval. In the same game the legendary Harold Horder scored a double playing on the other wing.

After this season he played a number of lower grade games until 1919. Most notable was in the final of the league Cup as shown in the medal above in 1917. After a full season in Reserve grade in 1918 he retired in 1919.

‘Naughty Nicholls’

Eddie gained a nickname, possibly christened by the members of the ‘fairer’ sex who liked to attend games. So the story goes, Eddie, apparently, was heading for the tryline and an opposing player got a hold of his ‘tweeds’ and ripped them. When a replacement pair arrived he had to frantically call for a shield while he donned them. This earned him the nickname ‘Naughty Nicholls’. “He may be naughty but he’s extremely modest, is Nicko” said a paper at the time.

Honour Them All

In 2006 Russel Crowe made a speech trying to convince the Souths family to let him buy the Rabbitohs. In the speech he promised to honour the history, traditions and past players of the South Sydney Rugby League Football Club.

I believe in honouring members of my family who have passed on as indeed every member of our club would do the same. I do not, however, have the honour of having a family member pull on the red and green. Eddie Nicholls may not have played as many games as such legendary players as John Sattler but his memory is cherished by his family. In my mind ALL of the 1190 players who have the honor to pull on that jumper should be cherished by us, the South Sydney family, no matter how many games they played or how long it was ago, over 100 years in Eddie’s case.

William Eddie Nicholls #86.

By Mark Emery for Bunnies TV.