Echo Women in Sport award: Cork star Annie Walsh enjoys European success

WHAT do you do next when you have already won eight senior ladies All-Ireland football titles? Add in nine Division 1 league titles and seven Munster titles and you get some idea of the character that Annie Walsh is.

On top of that she has a senior All-Ireland club title and four Munster senior club titles with Inch Rovers, a side she still plays with.

Some may bask in their glory days, but not Annie, the June recipient of The Echo Women in Sport award. Like many people who have played at the top level, she is a natural competitor, but also humble about her success.

So instead of just relaxing Annie took up another related sport and went on to add two European championship medals to her impressive tally, with the potential of more to come.

Through the gentle persuasion of Blanaid Wiseman, she joined the Cork Vikings, an Australian Football League team who compete in the Irish Premiership league.

“I would have played for Cork with Blanaid and she got on to me around 2019 and asked me to come down saying she thought I would be very suited to this,” said Annie.

I had a few injuries and was trying to manage that and said that I would be down there now, but she was very persistent and after a few phone calls and texts and I eventually went down.

“Straight away I really enjoyed it and played a few games with the Cork Vikings, but the league wasn’t really set up properly at that point. But it got going and out of that I was selected to go to the International Cup in Australia as part of the Irish squad, but unfortunately, that was postponed due to the pandemic and will not now go ahead until 2024.

“Last year we got the go-ahead to go back training and we teamed up with the Leeside Lions (Cork men’s team) and they took us under their wing. We used to train with them and they would help us out on game days. We went from strength to strength and actually ended up winning the Irish Premiership last year.

“It was a fantastic achievement to win the league in our first proper year and that was down to the commitment of the girls and the lads from the Leeside Lions, as we wouldn’t have done it without them.”

Throughout the league last year the Irish management were keeping an eye on players and Annie came to their attention, no great surprise really.

“They picked a squad for the Clover Cup, which was held in Belfast last October and I was selected. That’s a competition between Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales and we managed to beat them all and win it.”

Having had a magnificent career with Cork and Inch, whom she still plays with, Annie found there are many similarities between the two games, but one obvious difference – the shape of the ball.

The ball can go anywhere if it hits the deck so that’s a huge difference and it takes a bit of getting used to. 

"The other main difference is the physicality in the game but I do think by playing AFL it has brought on my Gaelic football as well. It is a big change from Gaelic football but I do think they also complement each other.”

Following on from the Clover Cup she continued to train with Ireland and was selected for the recent European Championship which was held in Edinburgh.

That had teams like England, European Crusaders (a combination of several European countries), Germany, Switzerland, Wales, Scotland, and Holland, to name a few all taking part.

“It was a step up from the Clover Cup competition and we had the likes of the European Crusaders and Germany in our pool, so it was tough to get out of it but thankfully we managed to reach the semi-final. We beat Wales and then faced England, who would have been considered one of the favourites, in the final. It was a fantastic game and thankfully we managed to beat them.”

PROUD

Commenting on winning two European medals, one with Ireland and one with Cork Vikings, Annie said: “When I started playing I didn’t think there would be an opportunity to represent Ireland and play against the best in Europe. It has been a fantastic experience.

“I’m very proud to have been selected and win the European Championship as well. I was also fortunate to win a European Club championship with Cork Vikings and both of those medals are up there with the best of them. You see some people don’t get the opportunities I have been lucky enough to get through sport so I’m enjoying it and hopefully will keep enjoying both AFL and ladies football with Inch for a few years yet,” concluded Annie.

FACTFILE

Occupation: Works in financial services with AIB

Clubs: AFL Ireland: Cork Vikings and LGFA: Inch Rovers.

Position: AFL Ireland: Utility (midfield/ruck/forward) and LGFA: midfield/centre forward

Honours won with Cork Vikings: AFL Ireland Grand Final Premiership Champions 2021 and AFL Europe Champions League Champions 2022.

AFL Irish Banshees women’s team: AFL Europe Euro Cup Champions 2022; Women’s Clover Cup Champions 2021; Selected for upcoming AFL Europe European Championships squad heading to Zagreb in October; Selected for AFL International Cup 2020 with AFL Irish Banshees.

Inter-county ladies football honours: Eight All-Ireland titles; Seven Munster titles; Nine Division One National League titles; Three All-Star nominations; Three Division 1 Team Of The League awards.

Honour with Inch Rovers: One All-Ireland Senior Club title; Four Munster Senior Club titles; Six Senior County titles (four Senior A and two Senior B); One All-Ireland Intermediate Club title; Two Munster Intermediate Club titles; Two Intermediate County titles and one Junior County title.