Lar Corbett leads tributes to retiring Tommy Walsh: ‘He played a tough game’

“A fierce nice fella off the field, he played a tough game on the field, and there’s no getting away from the fact that he’s one of the best players that’s ever played the game.”

Tipperary's Lar Corbett knows Tommy Walsh better than most, the pair have 27 interlapping years of senior inter-county experience between them, with Walsh marking Corbett on numerous occasions and Corbett even marking Walsh in one famous All-Ireland semi-final meeting in 2012.

The tributes have been flooding in for the Kilkenny legend since he announced his retirement yesterday morning. But to receive such acknowledgement from one of his most heralded opponents shows just how highly respected the nine-time All-Ireland winner is.

Always driven

“He’s one of the all-time greats, he’s probably one of the best players that has ever played the game,” said Corbett.

“I think as an individual he was always driven, I mean if you ever heard him speak, he was always driven and he was always 100 per cent behind Kilkenny. He never got excited about what he had done as an individual, he was always talking about the team which I think is great . . .

“He always, always did the simple things right and as they say in any game, all the managers or selectors want you to do is to keep doing the simple things right and enjoy it and keep working hard.”

The once nine-time consecutive All Star announced his retirement from the inter-county scene after 13 years yesterday morning.

The 31-year-old who was named GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year in 2009 thanked manager Brian Cody for his loyalty and for believing in him as a player.

My dream

“For the last 13 years I have had the time of my life, lived my dream and have memories that will stay with me forever. I would like to thank Brian Cody for his loyalty throughout all my years with Kilkenny and for believing in me as a player.

“I want to thank the supporters. From day one they showered me with support. I will never forget their continued encouragement, especially in my final year, simply thank you.”

Last year Walsh found his playing time limited as Kilkenny won the league title as well as both the Leinster and All-Ireland championships

“Looking at what Tommy did, he made that number five jersey his own for a decade straight and not a lot of people from Kilkenny, or any county, have done that so let’s just give credit where credit is due,” added Corbet.