Tommy Walsh writes his third chapter in green and gold
Tommy Walsh admits it was tough looking on from afar in recent times as Kerry went about their business without him.
The Kerins O’Rahillys star gave a powerful performance for the county in Tuam on Sunday, popping up all over the Galway half of the pitch in what was his first start at that heightened level in three years, two weeks, and two days.
“You miss days like this, you miss the game days,” he admitted. “Having watched a lot of these guys playing together at underage level over the last few years, and feeling that I could still contribute, it was hard watching. I am delighted to be back, in the mix and contributing.”
A good team player, then, but let’s focus on the individual a while longer.
Walsh looked done and dusted with the county game when he walked from Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s panel in the spring of 2016.
Injuries were a regular companion on his return from Australia and game-time was all too infrequent.
Not a good mix.
His form with the club last season ensured his name remained topical, especially with Kerry struggling at the back end of the summer, and he was happy to give the scene another look when new manager Peter Keane invited him to return in late 2018.
His buy-in was obvious in Tuam but it’s not like this was an itch that just had to be scratched. Walsh doesn’t give the impression of someone who would have gone to the grave with regrets had he not been asked to sign up for a third tour of duty with the senior side.
I was never going out with my club to try and get back in the Kerry squad. I was happy with where I was, playing good football with Strand Road, and that was enough for me. But then Peter got on to me. I was surprised to get the call but maybe the next time they will be ringing me is to collect the footballs!
That’s unlikely given his contribution on Sunday.
Walsh’s accuracy in front of the posts was poor with two attempts falling short or wide but everything else he did was exceptional.
His fielding of balls high and low into the forward line was excellent and his distribution and link play was top notch.
This was a much more mobile performance than might have been expected of a 30-year-old once lauded as one half of the famed ‘Twin Towers’ full-forward line although there was plenty of the aerial stuff to keep the large Kerry contingent happy too.
His high fielding in and around the middle was a huge aid to the visitors in a second period when Galway threatened to gather the sort of momentum that would be impossible to stop. An all-round performance then and one very much in keeping with the modern game.
“As the game goes you have to adjust, as did the boys around me. Like, Sean O’Shea went into full-forward for a bit, I dropped into midfield, Mark Griffin went into the forwards. So you have to be adaptable because most of the best teams are.
“We’re looking at guys in different positions. You play where you have to. That’s the main thing.”
Walsh’s input and his reputation made him the headline act on the day but he was all too quick to agree with the notion this is a Kerry team being shaped by the younger players who have been given their head by Keane.
That in mind, the win in Galway was a notable declaration for a still experimental side missing so many senior men and one that had to absorb the sucker punch of a 65th-minute goal on unfamiliar territory that swiped their lead.
“It was a massive team performance considering we played with the wind and found it hard for the first 15 or 20 minutes, but we found our feet late in the first-half and kicked off a couple of scores. That was an important lead to get in the first-half because the wind picked up after that.
“We gave away a goal at the end that we probably wouldn’t be too happy with, but to come back from that and to see Tomás Ó Sé coming on and getting his point like that shows you the value of the squad. The likes of Jonathan Lyne and Michael Geaney, they all came on and contributed also.”
