FEW HAVE WALKED the long road. Set sail for Australia, learn a new game, suffer a serious injury, rehab and eventually return to the Kingdom amid much excitement. Tommy Walsh knows exactly how Stefan Okunbor feels.
As a 21-year old Walsh kicked four magnificent scores in the 2009 All-Ireland final. Then St Kilda came calling. Okunbor joined fellow Melbourne outfit Geelong after an impressive U20 season and returned late last year. He has played for Kerry in one McGrath Cup game so far as his 2022 has been hampered by injury.
In January Okunbor suffered a dislocated shoulder. At the start of May, the Na Gaeil star pulled up during Kerry’s warm-up for the Munster semi-final against Cork. He returned to club action last Sunday and was injured during the throw-in.
He’s been unfortunate,” Walsh explains. “It was a shoulder injury he picked up and then he got another knock in the warm-up for the Cork game.
“It probably took me two or three years to get back into the swing of things. I’m not sure he was away as long as I was. But you see his attributes. He is an unbelievable athlete. He was really good in the county championship last year.
“He has a good head on his shoulders, a committed guy. If he gets injury-free and gets a bit of luck, I’m sure he could have an impact.
“The very fact that he was on the panel in that Cork game shows that they do really see a place for him. There’s such competition there, it’s not easy to get on the squad these days so the fact that he was there shows what they think of him. So, hopefully, we’ll see him before the end of the year.”
Former selector Mikey Sheehy previously admitted they made a “major mistake” throwing Walsh in at the deep end upon his return. He would have been better served by playing with his club, Kerins O’Rahillys.
He was never going to return the same player that left. Even still, it took significant time to adjust. What is it about the transition back that is so tricky?
“I’m not really sure what it is, to be honest and it’s probably different for everyone. For myself, I was probably putting a lot of pressure on myself. I was trying to do too much. I felt I should have been out there doing all the things that I was doing before I left, and doing them immediately. That was never going to be the case.
“When I went back with my club, I started to enjoy it a bit more and I was a bit more relaxed. Obviously, a bit of time had passed and things just became more naturally – I got a bit of confidence because I was playing better and it just flowed from one thing to the next.
“I suppose I had a lot more confidence in my body as well, because there was a stage when I was picking up a lot of injuries. It was a combination of things. Some guys just settle straight back into it, like they never left. It was just difficult for me, unfortunately.”
Last October, Walsh retired from intercounty football. He explained there was a brief conversation with Jack O’Connor when he was appointed manager but had his mind made up. The body could no longer take it anymore.
He is watching on as the squad attempt to navigate a four-week gap between the Munster final and the All-Ireland quarter-finals at the end of June. The primary concern now is ensuring they are not undercooked.
“It’s a big enough fear, to be honest. It’s probably hard for Kerry to know exactly where they’re at. That’s no disrespect to the teams they’ve played. But those teams haven’t been up around the business end over the past couple of years. The worry would be when you are tested that it’s nearly too late at that stage.
“But from Kerry’s perspective, it’s gone to plan so far. They’ve had two decent wins. Both Limerick and Cork put up a bit of a challenge at the start of both games but they were able to kick on and win the game relatively comfortably.
“They’ve done everything they could do behind the scenes. They’re training very hard and getting themselves ready. But I suppose we won’t really know until they come up against one of those teams that people would consider one of the contenders.”
Tommy Walsh was speaking as part of the launch of Guinness 0.0’s new GAA campaign. Throughout the Championship this summer, Guinness 0.0 will be hosting mid-week social events in GAA communities. With Guinness 0.0 more social occasions off the GAA pitch are yours for the taking. 100% Guinness, 0% Alcohol.
