Walsh champing at the bit to help Kilkenny atone for league final defeat

LEINSTER SHC FINAL:FROM A Dublin perspective, the news that Tommy Walsh has declared himself fit for Sunday's Leinster hurling final has to be a little unnerving. It's not only the formidable reputation of the Kilkenny defender, but having missed the first senior championship match of his career, it's fair to assume Walsh has been feeling like a caged lion.

Then there’s the small matter of the three recent meetings between the teams – two of which Dublin won, and the other they drew – and all of which Walsh has also missed. If there was a good time to remind people why he’s won eight All Stars and was 2009 hurler of the year then Sunday’s showdown in Croke Park might be it.

“Yeah, I rarely miss a championship match with injury,” says Walsh, who in fact made his championship debut against Dublin in the Leinster semi-final in 2003.

“This year was the first year I was missing matches so, touch wood, hopefully it’s not a sign of things to come.”

Walsh sat out Kilkenny’s semi-final win over Wexford on June 11th as he was still nursing the after-effects of a shoulder injury – and that was the first championship match he’d missed in 36 starts since his debut. He turned 28 last month, and while he still retains the boyish looks and indeed off-field innocence, that was actually his third shoulder injury this season (although it wasn’t dislocated). He possibly could have played if badly needed, but didn’t want to rush his return: there were more important challenges to come.

Sunday’s game against Dublin represents exactly that. Walsh missed the Walsh Cup final defeat in February, the draw during the league, and then also the defeat to Dublin in the league final – and there’s no doubt his absence was noted in the latter.

Dublin were convincing winners on the day, but would they have racked up 0-22 had Walsh been there in his typically unyielding defensive role?

Walsh makes no secret of his desire for a rematch with Dublin, for several reasons: “Dublin are flying at the moment. They’re the form team, and you can’t beat form, because it seems to carry through from match to match. They had a great win over Galway the last day, and definitely are going very well. . .

“We have a great chance in the Leinster final to play Dublin again. They’ve beaten us two out of the last three times we’ve played them, and it gives us a great chance to prove that we’re still up for it . . . . We’d be hoping it would give us that bit more hunger though, because we’ll be that bit fresher.

“That is the first Leinster in a good number of years that we’re not going in raging hot favourites. So it’s a different angle. And I would rate all Dublin players. They have great skill, as we have seen in the last few matches. They are scoring a lot of points, they are obviously great hurlers.”

Walsh regularly played Dublin in his underage career and realised it was only a matter of time before they made the senior breakthrough: “When I was growing up, 15 and 16 and minor, Dublin would always be very competitive. Any time we played Dublin at that age we didn’t know if we’d win or not. They should have beaten us a few times, and they did beat us in the All-Ireland colleges.

“When you’re doing it from that age, you will build confidence, that’s where it has to start. . . . Of course we’re always confident when we go into any match that we can win it, but would never have been taking Dublin for granted or anything like that.”

Walsh is taking nothing whatsoever for granted, not even his starting place, which again for Dublin must be a little unnerving.

Upcoming fixtures . . .

Today

Leinster MFC Semi-finals – Meath v Louth, Páirc Tailteann, 7.30pm, F Barry (Kildare); Dublin v Kildare, Parnell Park, 7.30pm, D Maher (Westmeath).

Leinster Under-21 Hurling A championship – Louth v Meath, Darver, 7.30pm, D Heffernan (Westmeath).

Saturday

All-Ireland SHC (Phase Two)– Galway v Clare, Pearse Stadium, 7pm, D Kirwan (Cork); Limerick v Wexford, Gaelic Grounds, 5pm.

Connacht MFC Semi-final– Leitrim v Galway, Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Leitrim, 7pm.

Camogie: All-Ireland Senior Championship – Tipperary v Kilkenny, The Ragg, 1pm; Clare v Wexford, Clooney Quin, 1.30pm; Cork v Dublin, Sarsfields GAA, Glanmire, 2.30pm; Galway v Offaly, Pearse Stadium, 5pm.

Sunday

Leinster MHC Final– Dublin v Kilkenny, Croke Park, 2pm, J Heffernan (Wexford)

Leinster SHC Final– Dublin v Kilkenny, Croke Park, 4pm, B Kelly (Westmeath).

Munster MFC Final– Tipperary v Cork, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, 12pm, P O'Sullivan (Kerry).

Munster SFC Final– Kerry v Cork, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, 2pm, D Coldrick (Meath).

Ulster MHC Final– Antrim v Derry, Casement Park, 1.30pm, J Devlin

(Tyrone)

Ulster MFC Semi-final– Tyrone v Cavan, Brewster Park, Fermanagh, 7pm, B Rice (Down).