Walter Walsh
Walter Walsh believes the fundamentals that have won Kilkenny eight of the last ten All-Ireland titles remain as immutable as ever.
Waterford have been lauded for their tactical savvy in the wake of last weekend’s dominant Munster semi-final victory over Clare, but don’t expect the Cats to radically alter their own game-plan in response to the growing threat from beyond their southern border.
Kilkenny’s trademark strategy of a tightly compressed defence, ferocious work-rate in all areas of the pitch, and inside forwards who can win their own ball and finish clinically has stood the test of time, and Walsh sees no reason why it should not continue to do so.
“Every year they say there's a new way to play the game, but I don't know,” says the powerful Kilkenny forward. “If you're hungrier than the other team and you out-work them, then at the end of the day you're going to win that game most of the time. It's hard to say what way the game is going, but I think it comes down to work-rate and how hungry you are for it. Tactics don't really come into the equation.”
The reigning All-Ireland Champions begin their defence of their Provincial and All-Ireland titles on Saturday when they play Dublin in the Leinster semi-final.
It’s reasonable to expect they will hurl with a manic intensity that combines controlled aggression with sublime skill, because that’s they always do. There’s no longer a question anymore about whether or not they can reproduce the hunger of the season, it’s taken as a given now.
“It's just when you get a taste of success you want more and more of it,” says Walsh. “I suppose Brian Cody really drills it into us as well. He's so hungry and he just wants to win, so a lot of that would come from Brian and the management team.
“As well, it comes from a personal level. You want to be the best you can be. You want to be successful. I think that's what drives us on and makes us so hungry.”
Despite all they have won, Kilkenny always somehow find a way to supplement their inner drive with an added edge or axe to grind. In the wake of their 2013 All-Ireland Quarter-Final exit at the hands of Cork, the narrative within the Kilkenny camp was that everyone was writing them off.
Walter Walsh
There was also an annoyance that Clare’s All-Ireland win that year was perceived to have been one of the best ever and that the game had moved on thanks to their more tactical approach to it. It’s no surprise to hear then that Kilkenny took a lot of satisfaction from proving their doubters wrong by winning the last two All-Ireland titles.
“Oh we did, yeah definitely,” says Walsh. “To bounce back, especially when people were writing us off as well. That drives you as well when lads say you're not good enough or there are too many lads retiring. Like, that's always going to drive on the whole panel and that's what happened.”
All-time greats of the game like Henry Shefflin, Tommy Walsh, and JJ Delaney might have retired in the past couple of years, but they left a legacy behind that still drives Kilkenny forward. The culture of high-achievement they created with Brian Cody is now so deeply embedded that it is part of the team’s culture regardless of the personnel.
“Definitely, yeah,” says Walsh. “I remember coming in the first time just how so welcoming they all were. I suppose you just try to do that yourself now for the younger lads that are coming in. I remember my first time in training Tommy Walsh came over and sat down beside me and just started chatting away to me.
“Tommy was a hero for me growing up, and it meant a lot. They have set the standard so high and we just try to come out and do what they did. They had a great attitude, they were great leaders as well, so we just try to go out and work hard like they did for the County. I suppose we just try to wear that jersey with pride.
“Lads will go and new lads will come in and they're going to try to do the same as the lads who went. There's a chance now for lads to make their own claims and make their own household names. I suppose it comes from competition for places. The younger lads have come in and are going well and that drives the whole thing on again. It keeps everyone hungry, I'm sure that's the way it goes in every county.”
Kilkenny remain the team to beat, but perhaps they are not as far ahead of the pack as they once were. Clare’s impressive victory over them in the League semi-final will have given others hope, and Walsh admits there is now very little between the top four or five teams striving for All-Ireland success this year.
“Definitely not. There's a number of teams that can beat any other on any given day. It's very competitive. Even before I came it didn't look to be as competitive as it is now because Kilkenny were very, very successful. But now it seems as though any team can beat any other on any given day.
“It seems as if the standard has probably been higher so far this year than in previous years, so we'll have to be better too if we want to win the All-Ireland. Everything is to play for and we're all looking forward to it.”
