Over the next seasons, shoulder and groin injuries restricted his time on the field, but in 2011 he took up a different role in the team, kicking 41 goals playing as a forward.
He had a stand-out season for Subiaco in the WAFL, playing 21 games, including the grand final to West Perth, as a half-back flanker.
He shared the 2003 WAFL Rookie of the Year Award with Zach Beeck,[4] and was promoted to West Coast's senior list for the 2004 season.
[5] He played every game for the rest of the season, kicking 12 goals as a rebounding half-back flanker, and was considered one of the Eagles' best in the club's Grand Final loss to Sydney.
Nicoski was in career-best form at the beginning of the 2006 season, and received Brownlow Medal votes for his games against Richmond and Melbourne, before fracturing his ankle against Hawthorn in round 14.
[3] In an intra-club practice match during the 2006–07 off-season, Nicoski severely dislocated his shoulder,[6] forcing him to miss the first half of the 2007 season.
[3] Nicoski played 19 of 22 games in the 2008 season, but was not at his best, and was dropped twice, although he still managed to finish seventh in West Coast's Club Champion Award.
[14] Under new rules introduced by the AFL from the end of the 2012 season onwards, Nicoski was for a time listed as an unrestricted free agent, but signed a one-year extension to his contract with West Coast in October 2012.
[17][18] In a WAFL game the following month, Nicoski was again injured when an opposition landed heavily on his wrist, necessitated season-ending surgery.