SHANE WALSH SAYS he’s oblivious to the noise around his proposed transfer from Kilkerrin-Clonberne to Kilmacud Crokes.
The controversial move has passed the 10-day deadline without any objection lodged from his home club. It now lies in the hands of the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee to rubber-stamp the transfer.
Two weeks ago, he said he was living in Dublin due to his third-level studies in Hibernian College.
A decision could be made on the matter next week. If it goes through, Walsh could yet line out with Kilmacud Crokes during the group stages of the Dublin SFC.
However, if he is residing in Dublin purely for educational purposes, there’s a chance of won’t be recognised as a sufficient reason.
“There’s a process that is going on at the moment. I’m not sure exactly where it’s at, I just know it is ongoing. I’ll wait and once I get the green flag…
“The week after the game I was with the team. The week after that I went away to Spain.
“I just came back for my best friend’s wedding and now I’m here in Dublin so I haven’t really been down (home) since the game.
“It’s only now that I’m starting to get back to normality a bit. I’ve been a bit oblivious to everything.
“There probably is a lot of noise about it. When I came home, I would have spoken to one or two close friends, family and that. They were saying to me… but sure there are people that talk about things for the sake of talking about things.
“You have to live your life. For me, it was easy to switch away from it.
“It probably got too much attention. I don’t think there’s anyone that cares that much about me to wonder what I’m doing every single day, bar my Mom and Dad, and my family.
“My life is based in Dublin, and that’s the way it is for the foreseeable.
“I don’t know what the future holds in the immediate term at this moment in time because there’s a process that’s ongoing. But, look, everywhere I go I look for a challenge, wherever it is. That’s the thing for me, I’m always looking to improve.
“I’ve always said that and I’ll never change that either. While I can play I’ll always look to improve. If there’s things that come against me in time, as Father Time comes along, I’ll challenge myself again and see where I can maybe manouevre some area of my game to improve again.
“Because, as I said, I love playing football. I love the game and I want to stay playing it for as long as I can.”
Walsh, who was speaking after being named as the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Month for July, says people at home have generally been supportive about his decision.
“Could it have been handled better? Possibly, yeah. But it’s not an easy topic to discuss. That’s the way it is, unfortunately. Look, these things happen.
“For me, it doesn’t change my love for the club. At the end of the day it’s where I learned my trade. That’s where I put all my work in to make the grade for Galway and to excel at club level. I’m always going to be thankful to my club for that.
“The only one I talked to was the secretary. That was just moreso about the formality side of things and what exactly the whole thing looks like.
“In fairness, he dealt with that very professionally. Other than that, I would have gotten a few nice text messages from people wishing me all the best with whatever happens. That was nice, because when they come from home like that, that’s what means the most to you.”
Walsh says Galway would welcome Peter Cooke, Michael Daly and Ian Burke back into the fold next season to strengthen Padraic Joyce’s hand.
A lack of depth was obvious in the All-Ireland final defeat to Kerry, who were able to introduce difference-maker such as Killian and Adrian Spillane, Micheal Burns and Paul Murphy to help them over the line in the closing stages.
By contrast Galway had little impact off their bench, even handing a championship debut to Eoin Finnerty as they chased the game late on.
Experienced trio Cooke, Daly and Burke all opted off the panel for various reasons in recent years.
“To be honest, I haven’t spoken to any of them. I haven’t been doing much in the last few weeks.
“Every player has their own decision to make in what they do. If players want to commit to playing for Galway, they’ll be welcomed. I know Padraic and the lads will welcome everyone that wants to play for Galway, and give everyone a chance
“I suppose lads probably have different things going on in their lives, and they stepped away from it for their own reasons. It’s up to them if they want to come back and pursue something. I’m sure a good few of them were at the All-Ireland final a couple of weeks ago, and wondering if it could have been them [out there].
“It is a big commitment. I’m probably one of the few that don’t see it as a commitment because I just love doing it, and couldn’t think of doing anything else. Some lads will say, ‘It’s grand, but there are different things I would like to do’.
“Lads have probably gone travelling the last couple of years, who knows. Maybe they needed a two or three-year break, and will come back in with Galway again. If they do, they’ll be welcomed.”
