He may only be less than a week into his career at the club, but I am already confident it was the right decision to bring him on-board.

In 90 minutes on the paddock in our crucial 2-0 victory over Rockdale City Suns we were able to get a taste of what he can offer in the heart of midfield.

His ability to dictate the game provides us with something we have lacked at times in previous seasons and it is certainly something we will continue to benefit from for the remainder of the season.

But his positive presence at the Wolves won’t stop there.

Nick has already expressed his desire to have a positive impact off the park as well, particularly by setting an example for the younger generation of players at the Wolves. 

He is a natural leader with exemplary professionalism, so his experience and guidance will undoubtedly be invaluable during his stint at the club.

You need only look at the comments from teammates, supporters and past players on social media after he announced his retirement from A-League football at the Central Coast Mariners awards night last week.

There were countless messages highlighting the calibre of person and teammate he was during his time as a professional footballer.

We consider ourselves lucky he chose us to continue his career with us on a semi-professional basis for the remainder of the 2017 New South Wales NPL season. 

It’s become the norm in recent years for NSW NPL clubs to stock up on A-League talent after the national league season finishes.

It’s ensured squads across the board are much stronger than in previous years, which of course leads to much tougher competition. 

For that reason, it’s pretty essentially for all clubs to look into adding players at this time of year to keep up with rivals.

Nick’s arrival in Wollongong helps us to do that and also fills the hole left from when Ben Tosi was unfortunately ruled out for a couple of months with a broken foot.

Tosi was outstanding for us throughout the opening month of the season so it was really disappointing for him to pick up that injury.

But with Nick coming in we’ve managed to make a positive out of an otherwise negative situation. 

As he settles into the squad more over the coming weeks, I expect Nick’s impact will continue to grow as we make our push back up the ladder.

I’ve always had confidence we could achieve great things as a squad this season and Nick’s arrival only enhances that opinion. 

Hopefully our win over the Suns last weekend can give us the confidence to go on a mid-season run starting with another three points this weekend against Sydney FC.

If we can do that then we will get ourselves right back in the finals conversation for this season.