GAELIC GAMES ALL-IRELAND SHC SEMI-FINAL: Ian O'Riordanfinds that while Shane and Michael Walsh are primarily hurlers they are also assured of their place in Waterford footballing folklore

ONE OF them, Michael “Brick” Walsh, is regarded as the best centre back in the country, a hurler of extraordinary strength and talent, already in line to collect his third All Star.

The other, Shane Walsh, is one of the most improved full forwards in the game, always capable of scoring a goal, usually when it’s most required. Together they make up a crucial component of the Waterford team going into Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling semi-final against Tipperary.

But what the two Walshs also share is a background in football, having first made their name on the Waterford minor and under-21 teams that briefly, but historically, left a mark on the Munster football championship.

In 2000, they lost the Munster minor semi-final to Kerry, by a single point – before making amends three years later by beating Kerry to claim Waterford’s first and only Munster under-21 football title.

Former Waterford senior football manager John Kiely was involved in both of those underage teams, and fondly recalls the days he first spotted the natural talents of both Michael and Shane Walsh – without quite realising they would both graduate to the top ranks of hurling. Although he still claims they’re both far better footballers than hurlers.

“I was a selector with the Waterford minors,” he says, “when we played Kerry in the Munster semi-final, in Dungarvan. Colm “Gooch” Cooper won it for Kerry with a last-minute free, although I still reckon a few poor refereeing decisions cost them the game. But both Michael and Shane Walsh were outstanding that evening, really tore into Kerry. Michael was brilliant at midfield, and Shane scored a brilliant goal. They both really stood out, and I know Kerry found them very hard to handle.

“Then in 2003 we won the Munster title, beating Kerry. This time Shane scored the winning goal, and again Michael dominated midfield. So they both very much started out as footballers. Shane Walsh is probably the best footballer in the county, because he can kick points off both feet, kick frees, and has great natural strength. He can outfield bigger men, and a great guy as well.”

Michael Walsh – who earned the nickname “Brick” in school, without quite knowing why – soon switched his attention to hurling, got called into the senior hurling panel in 2003, under then manager Justin McCarthy, and appeared as a substitute in all five of the championship games that summer. By the following year, 2004, he was a regular in the starting line-up, helping Waterford to the Munster hurling title, and the only problem was deciding where to play him, given his ability to impact the game at midfield, centre back or even full forward.

Shane Walsh stuck with the football for longer, playing mainly at midfield, and for a while shifted between football and hurling – playing both codes last summer – before shifting all his attention to hurling this year. Manager Davy Fitzgerald soon found a place for him in his forward line, where he started in both the Munster final draw and replay against Cork.

Now at age 27, both players are viewed as hurlers first, and although this is an obvious loss to Waterford football, Kiely understands their decisions, and understands why they’ve turned out to be such good hurlers.

“No I’m not surprised at all they’ve made such good hurlers,” he says. “The way I view it, it’s like life, or business, in that some men are natural leaders, don’t need to be led. Michael Walsh was always one of those men. You can have all the game plans you want, but you need to have the leadership to cope. Like Graham Canty in Cork. He doesn’t have great football skills, but has unbelievable leadership qualities, so in the last 10 minutes of the match, when there’s a danger of losing, he’ll just step up and win. Michael Walsh has that same mentality, and so does Shane.

“But I do think they’re miles better footballers than hurlers. They’re manufactured hurlers, almost. Although in fairness they were always handy enough at hurling as well. But over the years they worked at hurling, and that’s paying off now. But really they are natural footballers. Michael Walsh could be one of the best midfielders in the country in football, because he has such a massive engine. He’d the legs off anyone in Cork or Kerry, because they couldn’t keep up to him. Not for the full 70 minutes anyway. He’s playing centre back in hurling now, because Waterford can’t afford to play him at midfield, because they don’t have anyone for centre back. But he’s a real natural midfielder.

“It’s disappointing I never had them both for football, but look, I fully understood what was happening. Hurling still gets the higher profile in the county, although at least a few more of the better footballers are now staying with it.”