Nicks began his playing career with West Adelaide before being drafted by the Sydney Swans in 1994. A broken leg in 1995 delayed his AFL debut until the 1996 season. Nicks played 175 games for the Swans before retiring in 2005. Following a year off from football, Nicks returned to football via amateur coaching in the Sydney Football League. In 2011, he joined Port Adelaide as an assistant coach where he remained for eight seasons, serving as senior assistant coach under Ken Hinkley in his final two seasons with the Power. In that time, he was one of the inaugural participants in the AFL's Level Four Coaching Program. Nicks joined Greater Western Sydney as a senior assistant coach to Leon Cameron for the 2019 season, with the Giants making their maiden Grand Final which they ultimately lost to Richmond. In October 2019, Nicks returned to South Australia where he was unveiled as Adelaide's new Senior Coach.