Wallace: Athletics return gave me new lease of life

Eamon Wallace comes from a family of high achievers and when he first hit the inter-county scene as a lightning quick Meath forward in 2013, his potential looked limitless.

A nephew of 1995 Ryder Cup hero Philip Walton and former Fianna Fail TD Mary Wallace, he was the U19 national 100m and 200m sprint champion at the time.

A 1-9 return from four Championship starts, the highlight of which was 1-3 against Tyrone at Croke Park, was a pretty healthy return from his debut season too.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2019 and the Ratoath clubman cut an entirely frustrated figure, his potential still far from fulfilled.

With just 12 more Championship appearances across five seasons, and only four wins in that period, he found himself at a crossroads and opted for drastic measures, quitting club and county football in late 2018 and returning to athletics in search of a clean slate.

A year on, the 25-year-old is finally flourishing as a footballer again, scoring 1-3 in Sunday’s Meath SFC final and powering east Meath commuter belt town Ratoath to a first ever title success.

“I just felt I wasn’t playing well enough, I had a heap of injuries and I just wanted to get that right,” said Wallace.

I went back to athletics, my number one sport from when I was younger. That’s the way I got my body right before and that’s the way I got it right this year again. I came back then in August and I was hungry as hell. I’ve probably enjoyed my football more than ever since.

“Looking at this achievement now, it was definitely the right decision.”

Wallace covered 200m in 22.51 seconds back in June in Tullamore and required just 49.61 seconds to complete 400m at a meeting in Regensburg in Germany in July.

It was proof that his body, which he once hoped might take him all the way to the Olympics, is back in peak physical condition.

Mind you, he did sport heaving taping on the back of both of his legs during Sunday’s historic Meath final win over Summerhill when he lined out in attack alongside brother Joey.

“It was the calves, the calves were cramping, I had my ACL injury a few years ago (2014) also and then I had a meniscus operation at the start of last season so it was just the knee, calves, hamstrings, it was kind of everything to be honest!” he smiled.

“Maybe it was the fact that I was on the Meath team from 18 and it was just maybe a build-up, overload.

“Thankfully I feel perfect now.”

Wallace credits a long list of physios and trainers in helping him turn the corner, including Kilmessan-based fitness expert Maria Kealy, sister of 1999 All-Ireland winner Richie.

Having sat out 2019 entirely with Meath, his hope now is to rekindle his county career and enjoy a second coming with the Royals.

“Definitely yeah,” enthused Wallace. “Andy McEntee has a brilliant squad there. If he wants me, and myself and Andy get on great so he can give me a ring, I’d be happy to. But it’s up to Andy, it’s not my decision.”

A strong showing in the AIB Leinster club championship would help Wallace’s chances.

Meath clubs have fared poorly in the province this century though Ratoath, with All-Star nominee Conor McGill and Meath regular Bryan McMahon in their ranks, look an exciting prospect full of potential.

They play Garrycastle of Westmeath next Sunday week in the quarter-finals.

“We’ve never been here before but on that (county final) form, we’ll be hard to stop,” said Wallace. “I was looking at the Dublin semi-finals on Saturday evening....the places we can go there’s not many teams can go, at club level, I don’t think.”