Nolan keen to make up for loss time after injury blows
By Kevin Egan
Roscommon’s recent 2-12 to 2-8 win over Leitrim was a story of redemption for the Rossies given the crushing defeat that they suffered to the same opposition in the Connacht championship final. And on a personal level, the eight or so minutes that Kate Nolan got on the pitch was every bit as much of a turnaround story.
Her devastating ACL injury, sustained in the summer of 2024, cost her a year on the pitch and a possible county title with St Brigid’s, and it meant that it was another year of unfulfilled promise on the county stage for a player that has always looked capable of making an impact at the highest level when fully fit.
Another knee injury earlier this year sent shivers down the spines of all her club and county colleagues, though the news that it was a meniscus injury rather than a recurrence of her ligament issue offered a measure of relief, to Kate herself above all.
“It was unfortunate for that to happen but it could have been a lot worse at the time,” was how she saw it.
“You see Mia Macken a week later with another ACL so at that time, obviously you’re disappointed when it happens, but a lot more grateful that it wasn’t that.”
All the same, her previous injury was enough to ensure that Nolan took a very careful and deliberate approach to her recovery this time around, opting to err on the side of caution when it came to making her return.
“A lot of people say that with a meniscus injury you’re only out for eight weeks, possibly even six, but maybe because of the ACL before, I’ve taken the three months to actually get it right and maybe carry over some stuff that wasn’t fully right from the ACL over onto this rehab. I wanted to make sure I’m fully right and that once I came back, I was as strong as before. I think it’s paid off.
“Going onto the field in Carrick, you would have that nervousness but once you get on the pitch that goes straight away and considering I took so much time to actually get back, I felt a lot more comfortable returning to the pitch this time.”
High level athletes often refer to trying not to let injuries define them, but when absences are long and painful, recovering from both the mental and physical trauma is a huge challenge. Nolan is better equipped than most to handle those setbacks however, having decided to grab the bull by the horns and study sports psychology with her time.
“When you’ve been through it [a lengthy injury] once, at least you can know that you can do it again and I think as well has led me to start studying sports psychology.”
So was she her own first patient then? “Yeah, it’s relevant all right. Personality can play a big role and carry you through if you have that work hard ethic, they’ll bring you a long way. Talent only does so much for you, that has reinforced my idea that you need to continue to work hard.”
It’s been quite the task for Roscommon to turn around their season and while their patchy form means that a more consistent Westmeath team will carry the favourites’ tag into Sunday’s game at Kingspan Breffni, Nolan feels that the team as a whole is in a good place.
“After that Leitrim game in the Connacht final, the girls and management really put their heads down as things could have gone one way or the other. They were really resilient in the face of unfortunate events and circumstances, and they’ll relish this game now.
“We played them (Westmeath) in 2020 and lost that semi-final so there’s a good few of the girls still involved, they’ll be looking to get there this time.”