Stephen Walsh ready for the road ahead

Stephen Walsh feels he has to explain himself. He currently lives in Castletroy but works in Ardpatrick National School, a five-minute drive from his home house in Glenroe; an hour from his current abode.

“I know it doesn’t make sense,” he smiles. “But in the longer scheme of things it’s grand for the moment anyway because everything is so near, especially with UL, we have access to that and things like that.”

Most teachers will tell you their preference is not to live too close to their school but Walsh’s commute is taking it to the extreme. All for the love of his hurling. So you can imagine what it was like when he found himself surplus to starting team requirements last year.

Under John Allen, he made the right-corner back berth his own but he was the fall guy when TJ Ryan decided to switch Seamus Hickey back a line for the championship.

“It was a shock for me, it was a knock-back but you can’t fault any of the boys that came in. Seamus went on to win an All Star, had an incredible year, especially after such a disappointing year the year previous for himself (cruciate injury).

“I went through every sort of emotion you can imagine. You’re hurt and you’re angry and you’re down over it but you can only dwell on something like that so long. The season is going to roll on and at the time it was only the first round of the championship. I know it was the Munster semi-final but it’s the first round so there’s a long season there yet. Anything could have happened. You just have to stay with it.

“We want to be involved in it. If you wanted to walk away you’re free to do so. It’s something that I wanted to do, I wanted to prove to myself as well over the Christmas period that I wanted to go back in the best shape that I could possibly go back in and just see where that took me and thankfully things are going pretty well so far.

“I wouldn’t hold grudges or begrudge anyone like that. We’re a tight enough bunch and more power to the lads that did step in because they drove it on. We were within a hair’s breadth of getting to an All-Ireland final.”

Walsh spoke with Ryan who informed him he had the power to win back his place. That he did and he hasn’t looked back since, dismissing suggestions during the week that he wouldn’t be named in the Sunday’s team.

But the 30-year-old knows nothing but the hard way.

He’s the first from Glenroe since Mike “Bangers” O’Brien to represent the county at senior level. Where once there was two schools, soon there will be none. Getting himself recognised from an intermediate base was difficult.

But be it as an individual or as a team, he believes grudges are good. “You always have to hurl with some sort of a chip on your shoulder whether that’s an internal motivation or external. Our approach this year really has been to look internally and find that extra percent within ourselves and we weren’t a million miles away from getting over the line last year and just fell short. We drive ourselves on in training and try to cut out as much errors.”

Where Limerick sourced plenty from being dismissed before last year’s meeting with Tipperary, they don’t have as many doubters despite being underdogs for a fourth consecutive meeting in as many years. That defeat in 2012, says Walsh, provided so much. “I think we’re a seasoned championship team at this stage. Teams know what to expect off of us, if they’re going to meet us they’re going to meet a physical team that is going to work hard and support one another. They’re the standards we’re trying to meet the whole time.”

Combine that with a player oozing X factor like Cian Lynch and it’s a potent recipe. Walsh has seen and suffered first-hand what he’s capable of in training. “I’m sure everybody was talking after the Clare game about his confidence and he’s cocky and this and that but if you were actually to meet the guy nothing would be further from the truth. He’s a quiet, unassuming guy. The confidence comes out of him when he’s out on the field.

“Everybody was making a big deal of the flick-over the defender’s head. I can tell you now it’s happened on numerous occasions to many of the lads on the team! Another guy would try it out of acting the ape or being cocky. If somebody was trying to do it they might make an fool out of themselves but he has such great wrists. It’s an instinctive thing more than anything else.”