A CAREER best season at the age of 30.

It doesn’t happen often, but in Nic Newman’s case, the defender put his best foot forward in 2023, resulting in a second-place finish in Carlton’s John Nicholls Medal. 

Overcoming a knee injury in 2020, Newman felt he hadn’t been playing at his best in recent years, but this year was different. 

This year was the year that things went the defender's way, a second season with a new backline coach and a third pre-season injury free.

“I’ve now played a fair bit of footy in the last couple of years without missing any, so that helped,” Newman said. 

“‘Sammy’ [Aaron] Hamill has been awesome for me as a backline coach, I think having the coaching group around for a second year and being really clear on my role helped. 

“Also the way we played – especially in the back half of the year – putting more pressure on the footy and a bit more pressure around the ball always helps us defenders out.”

Newman’s reliability behind the contest has been a strength of his since coming to Carlton, as well as his ability to lockdown the best opposition small forward. 

A vocal instructor on the field who doesn’t let things slide, the 30-year-old is a fierce leader for the Blues on game days and behind the scenes.

It’s no wonder Newman has won the ‘Best Clubman’ award in three of his four seasons at the Blues, with the generous footballer always willing to help out those around him and share his experience and knowledge.

However, having three finals games under his belt at Sydney couldn’t prepare the experienced footballer for what Carlton was facing, not feeling as though those finals could be compared to the noise and occasion that faced the Blues in 2023. 

“I think I was probably a bit younger and more naive at the Swans, didn’t appreciate what it meant to play finals,” he said. 

“Those first two finals were nothing like I’d ever experienced in terms of the amount of people that were at the stadium and also just the noise. 

“It was cool to be a part of and it’s amazing with those first two at the MCG to hear the noise – it was like nothing I’ve ever heard before.” 

Taking the finals series in his stride, Newman continued his impressive form, averaging 25 disposals across the three games and taking a game-saving mark in the elimination final against his former side. 

Shrugging off the moment to ‘right place, right time’, the ever-humble defender credited his younger teammates for standing up in big moments and not losing their cool. 

“I still feel like we’re a youngish group and for a lot of guys, it was their first finals series,” he said.  

“We held up in some high-pressure moments in front of big crowds, that was a really pleasing thing.  

“I think that’s something we’ll be able to take into next year and be confident in those situations and close games and it was awesome to get a couple of finals wins at home.”

One younger player that Newman had praise for was Brodie Kemp, who solidified his spot in the backline in 2023. 

A mentor to Kemp since his arrival in 2019, Newman was proud of the way he fought his way into the side and found a position that he excelled at. 

“Just to see him come off an ACL, then to battle his way back from injury, then form,” he said. 

“He’s a young guy that isn’t sure where he fits, as a forward or a defender, he’s coming into his third or fourth year and still hadn’t cemented a spot yet.”

“His ability to keep at it, keep working and force his way into the team and then he became a really valued member of our back six or seven, a guy we could trust and he and Weiters formed a great combination in the backline… it was great reward for effort.”