Ambition still burns bright for Walter Walsh

It may be championship week for the Kilkenny senior hurlers but for one of the more experienced players on the team, it will be a watching brief on Sunday for Walter Walsh.

The three-time All-Ireland winner picked up a bad looking groin injury in the Allianz League victory over Offaly last month and hasn’t been seen since.

This weekend’s game with Antrim and the Galway game the following week look to be out of reach for the Tullogher Rosbercon man but he is on the road to recovery.

“It’s slow but it’s going well, I’m probably five or six weeks injured at this stage with another four or five left to go.

“It was a bit of separation from the bone, I’m lucky I didn’t need an operation on it really. I went to see a specialist and realised I didn’t need an operation. I rested it for the first couple of weeks and then just I’ve been doing rehab the last few weeks.

“After the Galway game there is a two-week break before the Carlow game, which would bring me up to 10 or 11 weeks, but again it’s all down to seeing how the rehab goes.

“I’ve probably got an injury at this time of the year for the last three years now but thankfully I came back and I was able to play the championship and that’s where you want to be playing your hurling,” Walsh said when speaking at the launch of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship a few weeks ago.

Walter’s injury means he has and will continue to miss a couple of big games with a barrage of matches coming thick and fast.

The 32 year-old does admit that maybe more time between the end of the league and the start of the championship could be of benefit.

“The season is very condensed and an extra week between the league and championship would probably be ideal but it is the way it is and most players are happy with the split-season and I know I’m in favour of it.

“Even with the club campaign with Tullogher I was training through Christmas but that was an honour as you really enjoy it.”

On the subject of his club, Walsh has been an interested onlooker at the Kilkenny under-20 team that has booked their place in the Leinster semi-final on the back of wins over Laois and Wexford. With Marty Murphy, Lar Murphy and Danny Glennon all on the squad, he sees it as a big positive for the club.

“I’ve been playing with these lads all year and they are really talented and Danny Glennon is just unfortunate that he had to get an operation on his shoulder as he’d have been involved too.

“Lar had a massive season for Tullogher and week in week out he was a massive performer and Marty is flying too with the under 20’s so it’s looking very optimistic as one of the older lads on that team.

“Most of the Tullogher squad is 32 or younger and they are a good group of lads who train hard together and there’s a good atmosphere among them and that’s why the success is so important.”

Kilkenny are now looking towards championship but despite the final day loss to Clare, there was still positives throughout the league for the Cats.

“The league was very positive, there was a lot of players introduced and a lot of lads getting gametime and we seem to have a very strong panel with massive competition for places so all in all it was good,” Walsh added.

Derek Lyng’s side will be looking to retain the Bob O’Keeffe Cup and win a provincial crown for the fifth year in a row and for Walsh, it’s a competition that has been hugely important to Kilkenny.

“Winning a Leinster title is definitely one of our main goals at the start of the year as it sets you up for the championship and you then have a direct route to an All-Ireland Semi-Final.

“You saw what it meant to us last year and you want to win silverware as when you look back on your career you will see that and Leinster titles sit high on the list for me.”

The Good Counsel school teacher will be hoping to play a part over the course of the five games and putting on that jersey is still a huge thing for him.

“We are really looking forward to the games and from a personal point of view, I’m just trying to get myself back training and pushing for a place on the team.

“There’s massive competition there and we are building a panel and that’s the challenge. I relish and enjoy it as it is a massive honour to play with Kilkenny.”

The ultimate aim is to be up the steps of the Hogan Stand in July but there’s no extra pressure for Walsh.

“I don’t think it’s a weight but there are definitely a lot of lads in our dressing-room with no All-Ireland medals. When I came in, at 20, 21 years of age, it was full of All-Ireland medals. That’s the difference.”