Well-timed return may turn out to be central

For a long time this summer, Kevin Walsh was quite sure he wouldn't see any football in Croke Park. Before the first kick of the Connacht championship, he had been resigned to weeks of rehabilitation and Galway were forced to try a new man at midfield.

The prognosis for Walsh was far from rosy. A stubborn groin injury had begun to resurface in January and, by the time of the league game against Tyrone a couple of weeks later, it had become a major problem.

Five weeks' rest appeared to have cleared the way, but, after returning a little too soon for a club match with Kilanin, the body completely broke down.

"I did something like three times as much damage by playing in that game," he says. "At that point, I honestly didn't think I would be playing any football again this year. I put the boots in the shed and figured I was done for the summer."

There was no doubt that the injury was severe. In tearing a groin ligament off the stomach, as well as off the bone down the leg, Walsh would require a period of total rest.

It was another 12 weeks before he would see any football action. As he sat idle, he could feel his fitness gradually disappear.

"It meant doing absolutely nothing. Just total rest and plenty of physio, sometimes twice a day. I was able to get on the bike a little bit and once the injury was half right I was running, but in straight lines only. And I had to watch every twist and turn."

In the meantime, Galway were progressing through Connacht without a whole lot of opposition. The young Joe Bergin won plenty of admirers while filling Walsh's shoes in the midfield partnership with Sean O Domhnaill.

Then came Leitrim in the provincial final, and three minutes from time Walsh appeared from the bench. Talk was now out that Galway would have their All-Ireland winning duo for the semi-final with Kildare.

Although Bergin keeps his place at midfield for Sunday, Walsh has continued to make significant recovery: "It was a long process to get back and I'm not saying I'm totally fit now, but those three minutes against Leitrim were my first bit of football since May.

"And I played a full club game the week after, so I'm hopeful the injury is behind me. I haven't been fully tested but I'm there if the county needs me. I'm happy just to be on the bench and I'll be happy to come in if I'm needed."

Walsh doesn't expect to touch his All Star heights of 1998, most memorably displayed in the second half of the All-Ireland final against Kildare. In total tune with his goalkeeper Martin McNamara, he lorded midfield over both Niall Buckley and Willie McCreery. Just to get a run out in Croke Park this summer will have defied the odds.

"We're in a semi-final now and it would be great to be in a final in another couple of weeks. Starting out, I really didn't think I'd get back for anything this summer.

"But everything feels fine now. I know I've only played the club game, but I gave it quite a lot so I'm happy enough right now."

And he insists that it hasn't been particularly difficult watching from the sidelines: "To be honest, I was so busy trying to get the injury right that I hadn't even time to think about anything else. "But I've had problems for years now with groin injuries. It has destroyed many careers and there was a point there this year when I thought that was it. But I've got through this one anyway and I'll see what happens from here on."

Now 30 - and turning another year older in November - Walsh isn't looking too far into the future. An All-Ireland minor winner in 1986, his long service to Galway football would be hard to rival. "Still, I'll have to look at things after this summer. I have three kids here now. Aged two, one and the other just a few weeks. It's not at all easy so I don't know where I'll be going after the season is over."

Last time he was in Croke Park, Kildare were also the opposition. But so much else has changed. "Look at 1998. We avoided any major injuries that year and it made a big difference.

"John Divilly is only coming back at the moment as well. But I'm togging out at the weekend and that's more than I could have hoped for a few weeks back."