Shane Walsh: 'When I came in, people were saying, ‘Go away to America’'

At the beginning of his intercounty career, Shane Walsh walked into a weary Galway. Now everything is different

Galway’s Shane Walsh with fans after the Division 1 draw with Tyrone. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho

This year is different. Shane Walsh can do things that he couldn’t do last season. He is moving freely, he is training fully, he is kicking off the ground. Galway are grateful for all of it.

On Sunday, Walsh landed his 15th two-pointer of 2025 with a last-gasp free from outside the arc to rescue a draw against Tyrone. The 31-year-old stopped taking frees off the ground last year after suffering a serious injury in their opening league game. It haunted his season.

“The injury was the big one last year,” Walsh explained. “The risk reward thing of recurring. I had a pretty bad tear; I missed pretty much all the league last year. You want to avoid it happening in championship if you can. Thankfully (I can now), with the medical team and their work done with me in the off-season, just to ensure I came back a bit stronger and the body is more robust for the demands as well.

“Kicking wise, I have always loved kicking off the ground. It is just obviously with the injury I didn't. On a day with the wind, it is nice to kick with the wind out of the hands and kick off the deck against it.” 

It was clear that Walsh carried something throughout 2024. He was still justifiably nominated for an All-Star, but he was hamstrung. They started their league with an eight-point defeat against their neighbours. He ended that game limping around the field.

“I tore my right quad. I wish I knew more... The first kick against Mayo last year I felt something. I'd never torn anything before in my life, so I hadn't a clue what was going on. The second kick I definitely knew.” 

His recovery was carefully managed during the off-season. They showed him the way. Galway and their new physio invested in players like Robert Finnerty, Seán Kelly and Walsh to ensure they were primed to have a proper go. Everyone involved knows the importance of making the most out of what they have.

At the beginning of his intercounty career, Walsh walked into a weary Galway. His championship debut was a brutal start. Mayo crushed them by 17 points. He came on midway through the first half and kicked a free. There was a constant churn in the squad back then. Players came and went. The maroon and white did not hold the same allure.

Now it is different. Pádraic Joyce handed out two debuts on Sunday. Jack O’Neill started and scored two points. Brian Mannion came on and was involved in the build-up to their penalty. Some notable names have stepped away, yet the core has remained for an extraordinary spell. The last Galway player to announce his retirement was Gary O’Donnell in 2021. Is this the strongest panel he has been part of?

“Definitely. Obviously when I came in, you had the likes of Michael Meehan and these players, big players but probably we didn't have the structure or organisation. That professionalism at the time. Now it is just… Hindsight is a great thing, when you know now the difference between things.

“When I came in, people were saying, ‘Go away to America.’ Now they are saying, ‘Where would you be going other than training?’ Galway are spot on with a lot of things. From a squad perspective, lads are seeing that and seeing the opportunity to be in there. That is why there are more lads in.

“I remember when Kevin (Walsh) was managing, they used to say they can't get certain lads in to play or whatever, now it is literally like you are trying to turn lads away. Lads are queueing up to play. That is what Galway are capable of. We always said Galway have the players, it is just getting them together.” 

He admits that they know some change is required. What they did last year was good but not good enough. Joyce added former Cavan manager Mickey Graham and Dave Morris to his coaching ticket. Morris is held in high regard locally for his work with his native club, Corofin.

“The way he communicates in particular is brilliant,” said Walsh. “People said for years the brain he has but at the same time, it is getting that message across to lads as well. Getting it across in the way we want to play. Between himself and Pádraic.

“I think people disregard Pádraic and the brain he had on the field. I always remember about Pádraic playing, he never really did everything with his feet. It was always upstairs. He nearly had the game sorted. Then he went and did it. Between the two of them, there is a nice balance there.

“Dave is just different in the way of thinking. For me, instead of telling you to do something different, or you should do this, he is like, 'have a think about this? Let me know what you think?’ He just gets you thinking. You can trial it in training and give feedback. That is what it is all about. At the end of the day, Paul (Conroy) said it last year, the day you think you know it all is the day you fall back.”