Son of Galway set for new chapter in storied career

Eleven years before giving one of the great individual All-Ireland final displays, Shane Walsh made his first significant impression on the hallowed turf of Croke Park.

St Jarlath's of Tuam lost a Hogan Cup final by a point, but one of the big takeaways from the 2011 decider was the performance of the Kilkerrin-Clonberne teenager, slotting over frees off the ground with both feet as well as soaring scores from play.

Years of honing his skills off left and right were coming to fruition. His primary school principal Peadar Brandon insisted he take frees off his weaker left foot, while at the football hotbed in Tuam, Fr Ollie Hughes built upon that strong body of work.

Tomorrow he is set to make another debut, a few miles northeast of headquarters, if he lines out for his new club, Kilmacud Crokes in the Dublin SFC. A surprising turn for the career of a gifted footballer whose own fortunes have seemed long intertwined with those of Galway football.

A central cog in a Galway Under-21 team that included the likes of Daithí Burke, Tom Flynn, Fiontan O’Curraoin, Damien Comer and Ian Burke, All-Ireland success came their way in 2013 with Walsh assuming the place-kicking duties.

A senior debut was inevitable, but the circumstances could hardly have been worse, making his bow off the bench against Mayo in a crushing 17-point Connacht defeat.

A year later and he exploded on the national stage, ending the year as an All-Star and Young Footballer of the Year nominee.

The dashing forward Walsh was employed mainly on the half-forward line and while Mayo were too strong in the Connacht decider and Kerry eased past them in the last eight, he was quickly establishing himself as a scoring threat both from play and placed balls.

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