Nick Davis (footballer)

Born in Melbourne, Davis moved to Sydney at the age of four, where he played rugby league as a schoolboy before becoming involved in Australian rules football.^[1]

Davis was drafted by Collingwood, the club where his father Craig played 102 of his 163 VFL/AFL games, with a father–son pick in the 1998 AFL draft.

At the end of his initial two-year contract, Davis re-signed with Collingwood and kicked 36 goals in 21 games in 2001. In 2002, he played in Collingwood's Grand Final team.

Following the 2002 season, Davis was traded to the Sydney Swans. In the 2003 season, he kicked 32 goals in 24 appearances. In 2004, he had an injury-riddled season.

Despite a three-week stint on the sidelines with a hamstring strain mid-year, including missing the season-turning 43-point defeat to St Kilda after which he was recalled to the side,^[4] Davis's form continually improved throughout 2005.

Davis is best remembered for his performance in the final quarter of the 2005 second semi-final between Sydney and Geelong. In a low-scoring game at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney trailed 3.12 (30) to 6.11 (47) at three-quarter time, which increased to a 23-point margin after Davis's direct opponent, David Johnson, kicked the opening goal of the final quarter. Davis then recovered to kick the last four goals of the game, delivering Sydney a three-point victory, 7.14 (56) d. 7.11 (53). His first three goals came from two difficult snaps and a set-shot, and the last came from a stoppage in the final five seconds of the game. The ball-up twenty metres from the Swans' goal was tapped to a running Davis by ruckman Jason Ball. Davis did not have time to take a clean possession, and on the wrong side of the goal for a right-footed player of his nature. Davis juggled the ball before snapping a shot with his left foot, kicking a goal to put Sydney ahead with just three seconds remaining.^[5] It is considered one of the greatest individual quarters of football ever played.^{[citation needed]}

The Swans went on to win the preliminary final against St Kilda and then the following week won the 2005 Grand Final against West Coast to end a 72-year club premiership drought.

In round 14 of 2006, after the Swans had played Adelaide at the SCG, Davis was dropped from the seniors and sent to the reserves. This proved to be a major challenge. After an outcry to the media, coach Paul Roos was furious and kept him playing in the reserves for 6 weeks. However, he came back in round 21 and played all the remaining games of the season, including the 2006 Grand Final, where he was one of Sydney's best, kicking 3 goals.

Davis played only three games for the Swans in 2008, after being dropped for a period and then being brought back in to cover during Barry Hall's seven-match suspension for striking Brent Staker. He played in the controversial draw against North Melbourne, when Sydney had an extra man on the field for 90 seconds near the end of the game,^[6] before again being dropped. He did not play another game for the Swans for the year due to dislocating his kneecap and requiring surgery, and he was not offered another contract at the end of the season.

Davis flagged an interest in moving to Perth to play for the West Coast Eagles when he came out of contract at the end of the 2008 season.^[7] He was delisted at the end of the year and was not selected in the 2008 AFL draft.