Mick Nolan

Who was Mick Nolan?

Mick Nolan was an Australian rules football player for North Melbourne. Because of his weight of 135 kg and height of 194 cm, Nolan was dubbed the "The Galloping Gasometer" by commentator Lou Richards. Until the emergence of Aaron Sandilands in the early 2000s, Nolan was the heaviest ruckman to play VFL/AFL football. He was nevertheless surprisingly agile and regarded as one of the best "palm" ruckmen of the 1970s. Nolan had a long kick and was unusually effective, for a big man, in picking up the ball at ground level.

As a child in Tarrawingee, Victoria, Nolan supported St Kilda and had the ambition of playing in their first ever premiership. He was recruited by North Melbourne from Wangaratta Rovers and made his senior debut in 1973.

North Melbourne rover Barry Cable said that Nolan was the best tap ruckman he had played with, because of his ability to palm the ball directly into Cable's hands. Nolan's efforts were rewarded with a place in the Kangaroos' team for the 1975 VFL Grand Final, a game in which he dominated the ruck, playing a crucial part in North's first premiership. Nolan finished third that year in voting for the Kangaroos' best and fairest, the Syd Barker Medal.