Tommy Walsh: ‘He ticked all the boxes for me — the best’

The retirement of Tommy Walsh from inter-county hurling with Kilkenny ends one of the most spectacularly successful GAA careers of all time.

Walsh retires with nine All-Ireland senior hurling medals and nine consecutive All-Star awards, won in five different positions. The Tullaroan clubman did not figure prominently for Kilkenny this year but his retirement yesterday drew tributes from teammates and opponents alike.

“For me he was the best, that’s how I’d rate Tommy,” said Tipperary’s Eoin Kelly. “He had everything — aggression, skill, courage, you name it. He had the will to influence the game, to make the ball go where he wanted it to go. He ticked all the boxes for me — the best, simple as that. I couldn’t give him any higher a compliment than that.