Cool Walter Walsh ready to roll again after enjoying ‘complete’ year for Kilkenny

Truth be told, while Walter Walsh was the darling of Kilkenny’s 2012 All-Ireland success last year’s triumph meant so much more to him.

From the opening Allianz League game against Cork in early February, to the moment James Owens blew the final whistle in September, he was there.

Every single minute of Kilkenny’s 10 season games (six league, four championship).

Alongside goalkeeper Eoin Murphy and defenders Paul Murphy and Kieran Joyce, he was one of four ever-presents for those 700-plus minutes of action.

That amount of hurling, that level of contribution, was a bigger deal to Walsh than scoring 1-3 when making a winning senior debut in an All-Ireland final replay four years ago.

“It was strange in 2012, because I was only drafted into the panel. I was on a training panel and playing with the U21s at the time. I was only drafted into the panel for the quarter-final against Limerick.

“That was my first time togging out with the team. You don’t know the lads as well as I do now. I know everyone in there fairly well.

“Last year was a complete year for me. I played all of the league games, all of the championship so it felt more rewarding for me.

“Obviously, the end result is an All-Ireland and whether you’re playing or not that’s what you want but on a personal level it definitely was rewarding having played all year.”

He insists the level of expectancy after 2012 never affected him.

“There’s no point looking back on your career, looking back on a game or anything like that. I think if you’re looking back, you’re going to get yourself in bother, whereas if you’re always looking forward to the next game, next year, it’s going to be positive.”

When Brian Cody entrusted Walsh with a midfield role in Michael Fennelly’s absence in last year’s Leinster final, the player accepted the responsibility as a sign of faith in his abilities. “It would have given me a lot of confidence, that he trusted me to play in midfield, it is an important position and I hadn’t played much in midfield, even in training or that.

“But then again, you have lads around you telling you where to go. I remember Cillian Buckley, he was wing-back that day and I was playing on his side (of the pitch). Wherever you go, your attitude doesn’t change. It is about working hard and things fall into place after that, and if you get a few scores, that’s a bonus.”

Kilkenny’s seniors skipped the Walsh Cup, having returned from their team holiday to Thailand early last month.

Ominously, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Waterford, Walsh reports preparations have gone well, although Ger Aylward (cruciate), Eoin Larkin (overseas), and Richie Power (retired) mean their forward-line options are fewer.

“Since we’ve been back in early January, training has been good, back in the swing of things and it’s like we never left training. It’s hard to know. Sunday will tell a lot. The strongest team will probably go out to play Waterford because it’s a very tough challenge. We’ll know after Sunday where we’re at.”