Tullaroan’s All-Ireland winning captain Shane Walsh was in ecstatic form after his side’s last gasp winner over Fr. O’Neill’s in the Hurling Intermediate Club final.
The corner-forward was speaking to Off The Ball after the win and revealed the series of events that led to him becoming captain, after his sister Grace praised him for working so hard to get the nod.
“She’s telling a half bit of truth. So they’re going around saying I was going around canvassing for the captaincy. That wasn’t the case.
“I live up in a house in Kelly’s corner - that’s basically what we call it - there’s three or four of us up in the house.I said to the boys, ‘I’m going to be captain this year. I’m going to lead us.”
“Now I was only messing but when I went down to the actual thing then, I ended up getting the captaincy. Sure look, who’s going to complain now!” Walsh laughed.
"They're going around saying I was canvassing for the captaincy. That wasn't the case!" 😂
Tullaroan's All-Ireland winning captain Shane Walsh was speaking to @MaireTNC after his team's triumph.@AIB_GAA pic.twitter.com/p8yzsY934Y
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) January 19, 2020
The young man wasn’t the only leader on the pitch today for Tullaroan however and gave credit to the older heads in the club that he looks up to.
“Look, it doesn’t really make a difference out there. We have 15, 16, 17 leaders out there.
“When I was a young lad coming up, I was a minor and had the hardiness of Stevie Maher, you have Padraig [Walsh] playing the county, Mossy, Keoghan.
“So we were looking up to those lads and they’ve been leaders for us. So I was just literally a name. They’re all the leaders in there,” Walsh said.
While it was obviously a huge game for Tullaroan, the captain explained that he wasn’t nervous and just enjoyed the whole experience.
“No, being honest, I wasn’t [nervous]. Usually, I would be but I think the whole day was a nervous thing and when we got into the playground in there, if you want to call it that, beforehand - that’s where we released it all.
“When you ran out onto that pitch for the first time - that’s your whole thing is gone really.
“I wasn’t nervous at all coming into it because I felt there was such a build-up to getting here that you can just let off and release yourself and enjoy the whole thing,” Walsh commented.
There's been a change to the AIB GAA Club Championship fixture schedule this year and the finals take place on Sunday the 19th of January.
Tickets available from gaa.tickets.ie and usual outlets including local clubs and Supervalu and Centra stores.
