SHANE WALSH BELIEVES Kilmacud Crokes would have replayed the All-Ireland Club football final if that had been the final outcome of the GAA’s investigation.
Kilmacud’s 1-11 to 1-9 defeat of Glen quickly descended into controversy due to the Dublin club briefly having 16 players on the pitch as the Derry team chased a match-winning goal in the dying moments of the game.
Following an official objection from Glen, and a subsequent counter-objection from Kilmacud, a replay was ordered by the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC). Kilmacud then lodged an appeal against the decision to order a replay, before Glen withdrew from the process, finally confirming Kilmacud as champions.
Speaking to BBC Northern Ireland’s GAA Social podcast, Walsh said he felt the fallout “left both clubs in an ugly place”.
“Probably the best way to handle the situation was for the GAA to come out and apologise (and say) there was an officiating error, because that’s what I believe it was on the day,” Walsh said. “We didn’t plan that script to happen.”
The Galway forward also stressed that he believes Kilmacud would have replayed the final.
“It’s obviously not ideal to have to replay a game on a technicality but at the same time, (Kilmacud manager) Robbie (Brennan) has always said and the lads will say it themselves, ‘whatever is asked you’ll do’, that is the way things were in the set-up and I don’t envisage things being any different had it gone that way.”
Walsh described claims Kilmacud cheated by having too many players on the pitch as “just bonkers”.
From the 45 happening until the ball going wide, the only (Kilmacud) person to touch the ball was our keeper Conor Ferris when the ball went wide. When you look back at it that way, you’d honestly say ‘that was it… The game was done’.
“While there was an officiating error, we’re just going to say we’ll take the result the way it was. That’s the way I probably believe it myself, it should have happened. Obviously it went on another spin.”
Walsh, 29, also discussed his controversial switch to Kilmacud last year and revealed how a talk from Irish rugby legend Ronan O’Gara on the eve of Galway’s All-Ireland SFC final defeat to Kerry last summer played a key role towards his superb display on the day.
“He started talking about the Heineken Cup final Munster lost to Northampton. He said: Guess how much I scored in the final?’. He just put up his hand and gestured zero,” Walsh explained.
“He started talking about probably the worst things you could hear in relation to where he was at mentally himself. But as he said himself, it made him the player he was. He was then able to develop that because he was saying ‘I’m never going to let an occasion get the better of me again’.
He said in the game you have 70 minutes. That’s your time. If you’re there wondering what the celebrations are going to be like, what the defeat is going to be like, the game is going to pass you by. He said don’t be that player that lets the game pass you by.
“That for me was really what I needed. I remember him saying it to me the night before the game. I used that.
“I came down to breakfast on the morning of the game and I was very relaxed and looking forward to the game rather than being in any way uptight.
“I remember our nutritionist, Sinead saying ‘you’re very relaxed. You look very happy’. I said ‘it’s an All-Ireland Final we’re going out to play. Why wouldn’t I be happy?’. I kind of knew myself I was going to perform.”
You can listen to the full GAA Social podcast here.
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