Kilkenny’s hurling drought: Walter Walsh says 'we’re close to ending it'
Michael Bolton
It may be a decade since Kilkenny last won Liam MacCarthy, but former hurler Walter Walsh feels they are not far away from ending the drought.
This year once again ended in semi-final drama, with a late goal from eventual winners Tipperary ending Kilkenny's season in Croke Park.
A winner of three All-Ireland titles, it could not have been imagined after the 2015 title that it would be over 10 years until the next, but that is the situation Kilkenny find themselves in.
In a championship that is becoming more and more competitive, Walsh is not concerned and says Kilkenny must focus on the positives.
“It is about getting over the line. I suppose going back, Kilkenny used to get over the line that bit more, maybe, earlier in my career. We are close. We've six Leinsters in a row, that is incredible.
"In my first year in 2012, Galway had hammered us in the Leinster final, and I wasn't even on the panel at that stage of the year. We didn't win it in '13 either.
“That time, you'd have Henry involved, Tommy Walsh, JJ Delaney, all of those great hurlers, and we weren't always winning Leinsters when I first came in. Obviously, you want All-Ireland finals, but that is an incredible stat; it is something to build on.
“Kilkenny will be trying to win Leinster again next year. You're in an All-Ireland semi-final then, and it is about winning two games after that. So, we are close. There is no doubt about that, it is just about getting over the line.”
Wals admits it was not easy to be a spectator at times.
Having tried his hand and both football and rugby, as well as continuing to play for his club, he has kept himself entertained.
The former Kilkenny hurler admitted it would have been difficult if the county had won the All-Ireland in his first season away.
"It only hit me when I was at the Leinster final. It wasn't the best game for a spectator, but I was looking down at them on the pitch, and they were celebrating.
"It kind of hit me, I would love to be going back into the dressing room with the lads. Whatever they were doing, I wish I were still playing.
"After the semi-final, it was the complete opposite. I left thinking, imagine what they are feeling after losing that game, maybe it was the right decision to retire.
"If Kilkenny had won the All-Ireland last year, I would have had regret of retiring, I would have felt like I should have stayed on. That is sport, you want to be successful.
"Maybe I hung on a bit longer with Kilkenny in hopes of winning another All-Ireland. Not everyone gets that fairytale ending of winning an All-Ireland and retiring."
