Shane Walsh out to deliver knock-out to boss who delivered him top club title

Irish Daily Mirror

a day ago

A freakish performance - Robbie Brennan was blown away by Shane Walsh's comeback for Kilmacud Crokes.
It was the night of September 21st in Parnell Park and the Crokes boss marvelled as Walsh fired 1-4 against Ballyboden St Endas on his return to action, having picked up ankle and hamstring injuries during Galway's run to the All-Ireland final and their defeat to Armagh.
'He hadn't trained properly since the Dublin game," said Brennan, referring to the Tribesmen's All-Ireland quarter-final victory in June. 'He trained during the week and you'd swear there was nothing wrong with him. He's a bit of a freak. I don't know how they make fellas like him."
Fast forward nine months and, after three years working together, Walsh and Brennan are in direct opposition for a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals tomorrow as Galway and Meath clash in the championship for the first time in 14 years.
Brennan was asked that same September night in Donnycarney about reports that he was to be Meath's new manager, taking up the position after Crokes' county campaign ended, but he wouldn't comment on the speculation.
The position was his, however, with Crokes' All-Ireland club final triumph in 2023 ushering him to the front of potential targets for the Royals. Walsh had played a massive role in that success, the final and vital piece of the jigsaw for Brennan to achieve a lifelong dream with his own club.
It was in late August of 2022 when the high-profile - and much debated -transfer finally went through as Walsh left his home club Kilkerrin/Clonberne for Crokes, citing the constant demands of travelling west as too much given that he was living and working in the capital.
There were plenty who were unhappy with the move but Walsh got on with it and, after his coming off the bench in his first game for the big south Dublin outfit - a facile victory against Templeogue Synge Street - Brennan spoke about the qualities that were evident in his new player.
'No matter when he came, just the fact that who he was and the All-Ireland final and what he produced, and coming to us and the perceptions around us as a big club which isn't actually the case when you drill down into the numbers and that, but look, there was always going to be a bit of noise,' said Brennan.
'But it's done now and he's in and that was the first game to get out of the way and he did decent when he came in. What would we do, turn him away? There is a process in Kilmacud and just because you want to join doesn't mean you get to join.
"There's plenty of guys who get turned away for different reasons but Shane ticked all the boxes. You're not going to say no, obviously, when he wants to come and join you. So just fitting him in now is the challenge for us."
Brennan had been hugely impressed when Walsh spoke to his new team-mates a few days before the game. "He speaks brilliantly about the game, he sees it very clearly. He understands it as you'd expect from someone at that level," said the then Crokes supremo.
'I don't expect there's a whole lot of coaching on him, I'd say whatever has been done has been done at this stage, at 29.
"I don't think we'll add a whole lot to his game. It's more just fitting him into the system and the way we try to play and what we'd like to do. But yeah, he's a big plus."
The noise eventually died down and Walsh played a huge role for Brennan over the next three years. Crokes collected back to back Dublin SFC titles in 2022 and '23, successive Leinster club medals in that same period.
And then came their crowning achievement, the All-Ireland club crown in January 2023, beating Derry champions Glen. Walsh scored 1-3 of his side's 1-11 total - his goal from the penalty spot bringing the Stillorgan outfit back into the game before half-time.
He took an extended break in Dubai afterwards as controversy raged over Crokes fielding an extra player in the final moments of the final. "Things could have been handled better in that scene," said Walsh on his return. "I was probably in the right place at the right time in terms of being away from all the noise about it."
He had told Brennan that he would return for a replay if required. "But it's great that there was a line drawn in the sand to it and it's great just to have that medal forever," added Walsh. "We enjoyed every minute of it (the celebrations), you can ask any of the lads and they'll tell you the same.
"I hadn't been to an All-Ireland final with Galway and I hadn't been in one with the club, and to hit both in the same year, and just mentally I felt a lot different to how I feel now."
Clearly their time together was mutually beneficial but, for Brennan and Walsh, friendship will be put aside for 70 minutes tomorrow afternoon.