Sorry.
The only words that Aidan Walsh could get out of his mouth as he made his way to the sideline in Croke Park in last August’s All-Ireland semi final loss to Tipperary as he was subbed off. The apology was aimed at Jimmy Barry Murphy, a man described by Walsh as ‘massive in Cork and you only want to do good for him and that day it didn’t happen.’
The regret is clear on every syllable coming out of Walsh’s mouth as he explains the reason behind his decision to solely focus on the Cork hurlers for 2015 and the foreseeable future.
Walsh entertained the idea of being a dual player but in the end found he couldn’t serve two masters. He admits the decision to take on hurling only was based on physical as well as emotional factors,
‘The start of last year, I didn’t know whether I’d be up to it (senior hurling) and I knew what I was capable of in senior football and as the year went on I began to enjoy my hurling. The success in the Munster championship, winning that was a great highlight of the year. But after the Tipperary game it was a real downer, I didn’t put in the performance that was required and I knew I could get it out of myself if I had the time to prepare properly. This year I had to decide and I’m fortunate enough then to have won a lot in football and won most things. I wanted to see if I put 100 per cent into hurling and see how that goes and I’d like to see what could happen’
But what about his own performances on the field and how he felt he wasn’t quite sharp enough for Cork in terms of his hurling in 2014:
‘Physically in terms of time it wasn’t too bad up to the Munster series but when it got to the All-Ireland, time was against me. I played two football championship games against Sligo and against Mayo and then I’d two weeks to the Tipperary game. When I got time to recover the team were dying down in their preparation for the game itself and there was no real intensity hurling wise for me, there wasn’t enough time between the two games.’
Walsh agrees with the question that he somehow feels he owes the hurlers a debt after his below par performance by his own reckoning that day in Croke Park,
‘Yeah, 100 per cent. I’ve really enjoyed being with the hurlers and I’m friends with all of them and to put in a performance that day just wasn’t good enough. Hopefully I’ll put the head down this year now and get that right.’
The result hurt not only Walsh but the greater Cork supporters and they were quick to let him and his playing colleagues know their unhappiness after the display in Croke Park:
‘Cork being such a hurling county we got a fair share of abuse, even from our own local people at home but I suppose that comes with it. We just drive on for the coming year as we try and get over it.’
Walsh started 2014 impressively for both county panels but by mid summer and that day against Tipperary was somehow being put forward as the perfect example as to why the day of the dual player is gone. Walsh says its unfair to say that people can’t play football and hurling at the top level just because it didn’t work out for him,
‘That was just me personally. I wasn’t able to do it but I wouldn’t stop any player from trying to do it. My situation was at the start of last year if I didn’t try it I’d regret it when I retire. If a player wants to try it then I think they should try it if they feel like they are capable of doing it.’
Walsh hasn’t ruled out a return to football in the future but with a Fitzgibbon campaign with CIT on the horizon as well as a full season of training under JBM to look forward to, he admits there is a certain sense of relief about having chosen one code for the next 12 months.
The Kanturk clubman of course has two county colleagues to look forward to playing with, one of whom will be the Cork captain for 2015-Anthony Nash. Walsh feels the goalkeeper will be a good leader for the Rebels but that everyone must take some responsibility for leadership on the pitch-not just one man,
‘He’s been around since ’06 and he’s been through a lot. He was third choice, then second choice and then third choice again and now he’s established himself as one of the best keepers around and he’s a very good talker and people listen. But every player has to be leader on the pitch and every player has to take responsibility.’
Discussion of Nash brings us neatly to one of the major talking points already of the inter county season which is barely two weeks old.
As a hurley maker has Walsh been getting any special orders for extra large bas’ on hurls for his playing colleagues? And what about his thoughts on the controversial new rule for penalties?
‘We saw the first penalty in the Canon (O’Brien game between Cork and UCC) game last week and if you place it into the corner it’s nearly impossible for the ‘keeper to save. The big thing now is that ‘keepers will have to guess themselves before the shot is taken. I could see keepers getting bigger bas’ to give them another bit of an advantage.‘
The new change has caused controversy with none of the three penalties awarded over last weekend in the Walsh Cup or Waterford Crystal competitions being scored. Walsh admits that the decision by the GAA has turned the whole issue of penalties on their head and may also see players trying to con referees into awarding the sanction:
‘It could be gone the other way. It was unfair on the team that won the penalty last year but it could be, I won’t say unfair to the team that concedes the penalty, but the advantage should be with the attacking team. You might see forwards going down a bit easier if they’re going through as well. Refs will have to look at it that players aren’t diving because it’s a massive advantage now to win a penalty with the new rule.’
If anyone could talk about being an ‘indentured slave’ then Walsh trying to please two masters in both hurling and football last year should be able to tell a few tales. He doesn’t agree with Joe Brolly’s comments but does admit that the level required by players to compete at the very top of GAA is a massive workload.
‘If you don’t put in five or six nights a week training at full tilt you’ll fall behind and you wont be there in August and September. Last year I enjoyed it, it’s all about playing and being involved and there are hundreds and hundreds of players down in Cork who would love to be in the same position.’
Walsh says players still have the choice whether to put the work in or not and the idea that playing GAA for your county is a form of slavery is one he firmly dismisses,
‘It’s a lot of commitment and effort to put into it but there is no-one holding a gun to your head, there’s no one forcing us to play. It’s our own decision, if he thinks we’re slaves that’s his opinion.’
Walsh made his debut for Cork against Kerry at age 19 and is preparing for a Fitzgibbon cup campaign next month as he completes his final year degree in Business at CIT. He doesn’t agree with a recent proposal from Cathal Cregg of Roscommon that would see all inter county players unavailable of the Fitzgibbon or Sigerson
The 24-year-old thinks the competitions would lose something without the best players and also that third level has a direct benefit for inter county set up’s:
‘It’s a good stepping stone to inter county. It’s hard hurling and conditions are bad but you get a good base and I think if you have good ‘Fitz campaign it’s a good lead up to your championship campaign. Even with CIT alone Mark Ellis, Bill Cooper and John O’Dwyer had good campaigns in the ‘Fitz and it showed in the championship they played well. It’s a fixed championship-you know your dates, you know your schedule and that’s one benefit compared to inter county championship.’
Walsh is hoping he has a few more years left playing at the top level but realises that he has to enjoy it as much as he can while he has the chance.
‘You only have for so long, you think you’re a young fella and then you’re coming to the last few years . You never know when you coud get a bad injury and it could be all over. You might be in the stand looking in. We’re training in CIT later and it’s going to be the third pitch and pure muck but that’s the enjoyment of it.‘
Aidan Walsh was speaking to SportsJOE as part of the launch of the ESB EnergyFit Launch.
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