Kilkenny retirement allows Walter Walsh to fulfill dream of lining out for Leinster rugby
This wasn't exactly how Walter Walsh envisaged retirement panning out, swapping the black and amber of Kilkenny for the blue of Leinster Rugby.
For the guts of 15 years he was Eoin Murphy's bus partner on Kilkenny team journeys to here, there and everywhere.
But Walsh's winter retirement means that Murphy will have a new partner for this Sunday's trip north to play Antrim in Belfast.
"I wonder who is after replacing me," smiled Walsh. "I'll have to check that one out."
Not that Walsh will be sitting at home with his feet up. The three-time All-Ireland SHC medallist has put his powerful, towering frame to good use since hanging up the hurl, jumping back into competitive rugby.
The 33-year-old married father of young twins trained last weekend at Gorey RFC with a selection of Leinster junior players who are currently preparing for their interprovincial series opener against defending champions Ulster this weekend.
"It's something completely different," said Walsh. "I got to pull on a Leinster jersey recently and it's nice. We played the Defence Forces in a game and it's something I always wanted to do, to pull on the Leinster jersey.
"I've been playing rugby since I was five years of age. Obviously I had a 15-year break between 18 and last year when I was 33 and got to play again."
Walsh impressed enough whilst playing with New Ross, whom he rejoined in October, to gain the call up for interprovincial duty.
"I play second centre, I would always have been a back in rugby," he said.
So what if he'd stuck with the oval ball from a young age, would full honours with the Leinster firsts have even been a possibility?
"Ah no, no, no," insisted Walsh, already seeing the potential headlines. "I wouldn't even begin to speculate there."
After over a decade of partnership, the Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tour Series of Croke Park returns once again for 2025 and includes a star-studded line up of Gaelic Games players. For a full schedule of the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tour Series of Croke Park and details of how to book a place on a tour, visit crokepark.ie/legends. Booking is essential as the tours sell out quickly. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
There was no turning back for Walsh after bursting onto the hurling scene as an U-21 in 2012, a wildcard pick by manager Brian Cody that paid out a huge dividend in Kilkenny's All-Ireland final replay win over Galway.
He shot 1-3 that day and fired the exact same tally on the same pitch a dozen years later when powering his club, Tullogher-Rosbercon, to All-Ireland junior success in early 2024.
It was a full and wholesome career then and Kilkenny could do with another phenom bursting through now. It's four years since Jackie Tyrrell suggested that Kilkenny haven't had a 'wow' player emerge since Richie Hogan and TJ Reid broke through, and things haven't changed much in the meantime.
Martin Keoghan, 26 now and on the panel since 2018, has arguably been their best player this year.
"They still maybe haven't found a player like Tipperary have found in Darragh McCarthy," said Walsh.
"I don't think Kilkenny have. But there's still time in the Leinster championship games to find that player.
"There are players that have come up through the Kilkenny ranks that are very talented, the likes of Harry Shine or some of these lads, he could have a really good year with Kilkenny yet.
"He's very talented. He seems to have a lot of the skills to operate at that level. There will be chances for players because there are five round robin games, so lads will get their chances. It's about taking your chance when you get it and holding onto it."
Tyrrell did acknowledge in 2021 that Eoin Cody had the potential to develop into a 'wow' player and with 1-5 against Galway in their Leinster SHC opener last weekend, the 2023 All-Star will be a marked man again this weekend at Corrigan Park.
The bigger picture for Kilkenny is that if they don't win the All-Ireland this year, it'll be 11 years since their last MacCarthy Cup success, the longest in the county's history.
The departures of Walsh, Buckley and Fogarty hardly helped their cause with only three players - TJ Reid, Murphy and Richie Reid - left from the All-Ireland winning panel of 2015. Walsh isn't overly concerned on that front.
"The last few years, Kilkenny has been in an All-Ireland semi-final and two All-Ireland finals," he said.
"So they are knocking on the door. It is extremely hard to win an All-Ireland as well. I can't pinpoint why it is that they haven't won one since (2015) but Kilkenny will always be competitive in hurling and if they can win Leinster again this year, then they're into an All-Ireland semi-final.
"There's only two games to win after that. Kilkenny have a great chance."
* Walter Walsh was speaking at the launch of the Bord Gais Energy GAA Legends Tour Series of Croke Park for 2025. See crokepark.ie/legends for bookings.
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