Gardening leave no longer on Walsh’s Wicklow agenda

When Thomas Walsh strides out at O’Moore Park tomorrow the sighs of relief on the Wicklow sideline will be palpable.

It’s not that they believed the towering midfielder would conform to the rumour mill and rejoin his native Carlow. Rather, they’ll be thankful that six months of speculation, suggestion and apparent dilemma surrounding the player is now officially at a close.

Since January, Walsh was forced to plead with media to leave him alone amid a hotbed of suggestions that he was to rejoin Carlow after two years with the Garden County.

He continued to hold his counsel in the intervening months, keeping his head down on the rugby fields with Tullow and lining out for neither GAA team.

According to some accounts in Carlow the Barrowsiders were confident of getting their man back. On another occasion it was suggested that Wicklow manager Mick O’Dwyer drove to Walsh’s family home to implore him to stay with them.

Wicklow selector Kevin O’Brien is glad the saga is at an end.

"It’s absolutely ridiculous what’s been written and said," said O’Brien. "I have to say Thomas Walsh is a tremendous individual and has handled himself brilliantly.

"He never once went to the papers cribbing about this story or that story or giving out about this or that. We’re just thrilled to have him but way too much has been made about it.

"Thankfully he’s been majestic in the way he’s handled all the pressure."

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