It may be a somewhat strange question, but have you ever noticed Mitch Nichols shoulders?  You haven’t?  Well, let me assure you they are rather broad.  In fact, they may just be downright disproportionate – but not in the way you might think.

You see, broad shoulders are supposedly a sign of strength. An indication that whoever possesses them can bear an enormous burden much like Atlas carrying the mythical weight of the world.

Of course comparisons to any Greek Titan will be far from flattering for mere mortals, so there's no shame that despite possessing scapula like scaffolding Mitch Nichols has shuddered slightly under the weight of recent responsibilities.  It’s also not that surprising.

Sometimes, it’s all too easy to forget just how young Nichols really is.  It may seem like he’s been part of the Roar playing squad forever but the attacking midfielder is still just 22 years old.

As such, he’s still shouldering the expectations that accompany promise and potential, attempting to add consistency to a solid base of pass-and-move skills and the occasional flourish in front of goal.

In light of this, it seems almost unfair to add the further weight of responsibility to his already burdened shoulders.  But now, in his fifth season of professional football, whether he is ready or not, the time has come for Nichols to make the leap from next-big-thing to go-to-man.

In the early rounds of this latest A-League campaign many seemed to think he already had.

In replacing the departed Matt McKay, Nichols’ had noticeably improved his distribution and his stamina while being more selective in his shots on goal.  Some suggested that he might even be ready for a second Socceroos call-up following his premature selection in 2009.

Recent weeks, however, have rightly tempered those calls.

It’s not that Nichols has under-performed or doesn’t have the talent to someday be a Socceroos stalwart.  It’s just that recent responsibilities have demonstrated that Nichols is still somewhat of a work in progress and far from the matured midfielder some were so quick to suggest.

Two examples come to mind and I cite them not as criticism but as a reminder that potential and responsibility can’t sit side-by-side no matter how broad the shoulders.

Firstly, teamed with the Mariners' Oliver Bozanic, Nichols formed the more senior core of an Olyroos midfield that failed to flatter in back-to-back nil-nil draws with Uzbekistan and Iraq.  His brightest moments in those games didn’t come from what he created as it arguably should, but instead from what he attempted to finish.

Then, upon his return to the Roar squad against Sydney FC on the weekend, Nichols was given the tall order of replicating the role of the injured Thomas Broich in leading the club’s attack from the midfield.

On that particular occasion Nichols was generally outplayed by his opposite number – a resurgent Nicky Carle – whose experience came to the forefront against an opponent unfamiliar with that kind of responsibility and perhaps slightly out of step following his recent time away.

At times though, it did seem like Nichols was waiting to play the supporting role with which he’s so familiar from past seasons instead of taking control of the midfield himself.  This is fine when you have a Matt McKay or a Thomas Broich operating beside you, but in their absence it simply won’t get the job done.

Hence, if Nichols is to take his game to a level that your humble blogger believes he is capable, he must do more than accept responsibility when it is forced upon him.  He has to actively seek it out and relish the opportunity it affords.

Thankfully, a more hectic Roar schedule over the next four weeks – and Thomas Broich’s niggling heel injury – will allow Nichols the chance to do just that.

And I say thankfully because that central creative role is one I believe the still young midfielder has the skills, and increasingly the experience, to one day make his own.

After all, I believe shoulders like that are wasted carrying mere potential.  They were designed to bear the burdens of responsibility.  In time they may even be prove capable of carrying a whole team.

And hopefully, starting with the next few weeks, Mitch Nichols will begin to demonstrate just what they can deliver.  That his shoulders aren’t simply for show, but that his game can actually match their breadth.