Evergreen Browne has unfinished business

ALL-IRELAND SHC SEMI-FINALS:IT DOESN'T make any sense, but there is not a scratch on Tony Browne. A lean looking, greyhound of an intercounty hurler, he should have a massive hole in his forehead.

But Browne has a clean-cut complexion. Nothing makes sense about the man. At 37, he shouldn’t be collecting the Vodafone hurler of the month award for July.

Dammit, he shouldn’t be playing hurling at all.

This is a man who first appeared for the Waterford seniors in 1991. He has been playing championship hurling since 1992. That is 19 seasons.

It doesn’t seem possible that he continues to excel along the halfback frontier that is littered with athletes 15-odd years his junior.

No, the reader has not been transported back in time. It is still 2010.

As mentioned, he seems in fine shape. Of slight build, the sinews of his neck reveal a glimpse of a perfectly oiled, albeit vintage, machine.

We ask about his head, because it played a crucial role in sending Cork, and not Waterford, into Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny.

Sore?

“No, it’s fine.”

Did you mean to stick your head in the way of that late shot in the Munster final replay?

“I could say I did but I just put myself in the way of the ball really. I think it’s the helmet that’s damaged much more than the head to tell you the truth.”

Maybe he doesn’t feel pain anymore.

Even Browne himself admitted to probably being done with it all a few months back, but then Davy Fitzgerald came calling. There was also the lure of another Munster medal and, of course, some unfinished business back at the top table.

The Waterford boys have shelved any hint of ego this season with Dan Shanahan and Ken McGrath pitching in as mere panellists and, at best, last quarter substitutes. “I did come close. I had probably been saying that I was close to retiring for the last three years if I’m telling the truth. Definitely this year, I meant it at the start of the year and I left it a little bit longer to come back.

“But I knew there was a great opportunity there as well and that was the thing that was drawing me back. There was a great opportunity to reach a Munster final. As I said, I left it late and then I got involved in a programme. I did that and felt good after it and said I would go one hundred per cent at it.”

Browne talks about Tipperary on Sunday week but he hasn’t studied them in great detail. Sure, why should he? By this stage, he understands how it all works: just deny those young forwards even a sniff of possession and he’ll be fine. “I know Tipp from old and, let’s be honest, they had a small bit of a blip early on in the year against Cork and they are right back on track again. We are under no illusions about it.

“Being honest about it, they should probably have won the All-Ireland last year. We know who we are up against and they are lucky enough in that they have come through some qualifier games and they are probably right where they need to be at the moment.”

This Sunday, can Cork rid the championship of Kilkenny – is that possible?

“Kilkenny are probably one of the best teams of all time and they are going to be very hard to beat. Take Kilkenny out of the equation and everyone else has a chance. In saying that, with the Cork-Kilkenny tradition I don’t think Cork will have any fear going up against Kilkenny.

“They don’t have anything to lose either. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cork were to give them a decent game.”

He won’t say anymore. He doesn’t need to. We can’t believe that he is still doing his thing. But he is.

The monthly awards are accepted with humility, while he keeps playing because he needs to. They all do in Waterford.

The Vodafone award for footballer of the month for July went to the versatile Kildare player, Eamonn Callaghan.