AS FAR as career highlights go, Mark Nicoski's is fairly low-key. But after fighting and scrapping his way to 100 games, he's learned to appreciate the simple things in football.

The 27-year-old has confronted more hurdles than most in football, battling shoulder, ankle, back and toe injuries in his time, and he will play his 100th game against Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, halfway through his eighth season.

It's that hardship - which included missing a chance to play in the 2006 premiership because of injury - that made his round one performance this year so satisfying.

Called into the side as a late replacement for injured ruckman Nic Naitanui, Nicoski starred against North Melbourne, racking up 21 possessions and kicking 2.5 in the half-forward role he has since made his own.

The honest and forthright Eagle is close to the club's young players and is a mentor to many of them, and he said celebrating a significant team and individual performance with them was a career highlight.    
 
"After all the years that I've been here and played, the most satisfying moment for me was walking down the race in round one after we'd won and just getting a hug from Koby [Stevens], 'Broomey' (Lewis Broome) and all those boys," Nicoski told afl.com.au this week.

"I was no guarantee to be a part of that team at the beginning of the year and I was fortunate enough to slide into the team late.

"They knew how much it meant [and] I think that's what typified all that pain and stuff that you go through with injuries. That would have been the most satisfying moment for me."

Nicoski says he's never felt comfortable with his place in the team and has always been a player who "if they're not at their best, is not in the senior side".

Recruited as a rookie in 2003, he first made his mark as a dashing half-back in 2005, playing 21 games, including the Eagles' four-point loss to the Sydney Swans in the Grand Final. 
 
He had quickly developed into a valuable member of a dominant team when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Hawthorn in round 14, 2006.

When he returned in 2007 (a season ruined by shoulder and toe injuries) he wasn't the same player.

"As much as you don't like to admit it at the time, when you look back you can see that there were elements of your game that change," he said.

"I probably lost a bit of speed and agility, which were things that were really important in my game.

"That came back over a couple of years, but I was hit with a back injury and then my shoulder again, so it's been a bit of a bumpy ride.

"Continuity is the most important thing when it comes to bettering yourself as a footballer."

Nicoski's back injury, which ended his 2009 season in round 15, couldn't have come at a worse time.

Out of contract and at a club that was rebuilding with youth aggressively, Nicoski appeared bound for either the Western Bulldogs in trade week or the pre-season draft.

"It was definitely an uncertain time and I was really keen to get another opportunity," he said. "It wasn't about proving to anyone but myself that I was still capable of playing AFL football.

"Fortunately for me, we nutted out a contract with the club and I've been able to repay some of the faith."

Forward line coach Peter Sumich played a big role in keeping Nicoski at the club, seeing potential in him as a half-forward.

A two-year contract was offered and, after a 2010 season ruined by shoulder injuries, Nicoski is repaying the coaches' faith in spades, playing a crucial role in the Eagles' resurgence. 

"He (Sumich) believed that there was something he could get out of me as a coach and that's all I really needed," Nicoski said. 

"If you've got someone who believes in you, with an amount of hard work you can achieve what they see, and what you believe you can achieve."

Highlighting the significance of his round one performance, Nicoski has played every game this season and says he is enjoying his football more than ever.

Having used the 100-game milestone as a distant goal since his 2006 disappointment, he's playing like a man without any weight on his shoulders.

"It's pretty satisfying and it's been a long time coming," he said. "From 2006 and for the next couple of years, I used it to spur me on.

"This year I've approached every week, every meeting, every plane trip as if it's my last and it's been a really refreshing way to do it. I'm having a blast."

Nathan Schmook covers West Coast news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_NSchmook