While he’d already stepped down as the Bulls leader, Nicoll was going to play before receiving the shock diagnosis in July.

After struggling with his vision and starting to slur his speech, a brain scan confirmed the 28-year-old has the progressive, degenerative disease.

Nicoll has three children, sons Joshua, 9, and Oliver, 4, while daughter Willow is only nine months old.

One of his biggest fears is not seeing them grow up.

“I think the scariest thing for me is that I have a nine-month-old daughter,” Nicoll said.

“I started thinking about her 18^th birthday and it’s 17 years away, which is a very long time with this disease.

“Am I going to be right or in a wheelchair or bed-ridden?

“Some of those things are scary but I have a pretty good family (including wife Eloise) who support me and keep my thinking positive.

“I’ll do the right things to make sure I’m there for my three kids when they are a bit older.”

Now he’s taken up golf, goes to the gym most mornings and eats healthy in a bid to slow down the disease.

Nicoll wasn’t completely ruled out a return to the field, but it definitely not be in first grade.

“In the summertime when there’s one week where a wedding has 10 or 11 people are out across the club I’ll fill to help out,” he said.

“I won’t be tempted to play full-time.”

Nicoll was in the crowd watching the Bulls win on Saturday and enjoyed the different experience more.

“That was probably the most fun at cricket that I have had in a long time,” he said.

“Normally I just get out for five and have to sit around all day and sulk then have to field.

“But I didn’t have to get out but could just sit around and watch it.”