Hands up if you can remember who won man of the match when Dublin finally got back to promised land by winning the 2011 All-Ireland final? Bernard Brogan? Alan? Diarmuid Connolly? Kevin McManamon? No, it was Kevin Nolan.
The Dublin wing back kicked his first and only championship point against Kerry in that final, before later being honoured as an All-Star recipient. At the time, Nolan would not have realised it but this was as good as it was going to get for his Dublin career despite being only 23.
The winter brought with it health issues, including a diabetes diagnoses and although he was still on the panel when Dublin won the All-Ireland again two years later, his intercounty career was hampered by injury and by 2015 he was gone from the panel.
However, it seems his days playing county football may not be quite over as he is open to the possibility of a call-up in his soon-to-be new home in Monaghan. Nolan is relocating to Farney country with his fiancée and has told the Irish Times that he would consider playing for Monaghan, should the chance arise:
I would still love to play intercounty football.
I wouldn’t go looking, but things might happen in the next months or years that may mean I’m playing football in a different county.
Nolan is still playing with Kilmacud Crokes but when he moves to Monaghan he is open to a switch to Cremartin, an intermediate club across the road from his new home. While it may not be the sexiest of moves, Nolan is eager to just play ball, 'I can’t be putting in a transfer to the other end of the county just to win a medal. I wouldn’t be all about the glory.'
From reading his interview, he seems fairly content with his lot despite his misfortune over the years and you certainly wouldn't begrudge him any future success in Ulster. You can read the full chat here.
