2018 LEFT ME IN GREAT NIC

IT’S hardly a coincidence Nicole Owens had her greatest success on the pitch in 2018 at a time when she’s in a “really good place” off it.

While Dublin started 2018 as All-ireland ladies champions, they dispelled any doubts their superiority by winning the county’s first ever League title and, particularly, beating Cork in an All-ireland final having lost three successive finals to them from 2014-16.

“It’s surreal looking back on it,” said Owens. “It’s the best year I’ve had with Dublin.

“Mick [Bohan] coming in the year before last, probably a new approach, probably challenging a lot of the unanswered questions a lot of us had and just instilling - I think this year what we had, what we didn’t really have the three years where we lost the All-ireland – was a belief that we were going to win. I went into that match believing we were going to win. There was no question. It wasn’t a complacenty thing. It was just a complete belief in the team and the job that we were going to do.”

In the last year or so, Owens has been refreshingly open in discussing her mental health issues, including making an appearance on Saturday night prime time television.

She explained: “My approach to it is talking helps, so if I wasn’t talking about it, I’d be going against what I believe in.

“When I was younger I wish I had talked more, and if by talking now I can encourage people younger, where I was was, and even younger to talk more and get more in touch with I suppose, their emotions, and what they are feeling and not just sort of dismiss them.”