On the night before Galway played Kerry in last year's All-Ireland football final, Shane Walsh's thoughts turned to a chat Ronan O'Gara had with the Tribesmen panel. Throughout the year, the former Munster and Ireland out-half had been giving advice to the Galway players.
Walsh had a stellar final, scoring nine points, including four from play as Galway lost to the Kingdom by four. Speaking to BBC's The GAA Social podcast, Walsh revealed the influence O'Gara's words had on his performance.
24 July 2022; David Clifford of Kerry and Shane Walsh of Galway shake hands before the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Kerry and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
"He started talking about Munster losing the Heineken Cup final to Northampton [in 2000]," said Walsh.
"He said: 'Guess how much I scored in the final?’ He just put up his hand and said zero.
"He started talking about probably the worst things you could hear in relation to where he was at mentally himself. But as he said himself, it made him the player he was. He was then able to develop that because he was saying ‘I’m never going to let an occasion get the better of me [again]’.
Shane Walsh. The transfer, the reasons & the attraction of Kilmacud. The All-Ireland club final. David Clifford, Galway in 2023 & Ronan O’Gara. Imagination, Pádraic Joyce & what it takes. Nothing off limits. Exceptional podcast. Sound man
🎧👉🏻 https://t.co/0cpchQNJBz pic.twitter.com/voJhFTcLkH— Thomas Niblock (@thomasniblock) March 15, 2023
"That's what stood out to me in the All-Ireland final. It's a huge day for your family, the group, but he said, 'You have all that time after the game to enjoy the occasion, but in the game, you have 70 minutes, that’s your time. If you’re there wondering what the celebrations are going to be like, what the defeat is going to be like, the game is going to pass you by. Don’t be that player that lets the game pass you by'.
"That for me was really what I needed. I remembered him saying it to me the night before the game. I used that."
24 July 2022; Shane Walsh of Galway in action against Tom O'Sullivan of Kerry during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Kerry and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
On the morning of his first All-Ireland final, Walsh was laid back. That was partially down to having a good week of prepartion compared to those before previous Galway games. Prior to the quarter-final win against Armagh, he had a stomach bug all week, and was unable to eat before the match.
"I came down to breakfast on the morning of the [All-Ireland final] and I was very relaxed and looking forward to the game rather than being in any way uptight," said Walsh.
"I remember our nutritionist, Sinead, saying ‘You’re very relaxed. You look very happy’. I said ‘It’s an All-Ireland Final we’re going out to play. Why wouldn’t I be happy?’ I kind of knew myself I was going to perform.
"I used a few a couple of things that morning to fuel me. You're trying to do your family and all your teammates proud. For me, I'd aspired my whole life to play in an All-Ireland final. Once I left that hotel room, it was all parked.
"Looking back, I didn't really react to anything in the game, even anything Tom O'Sullivan was trying to do to me during the game to put me off. I couldn't even tell you what it was because I wasn't even thinking about what he was doing.
"I was very much in my own space in regard to knowing what I was going to do, and how I was going to do it. There was nothing going to get in my way."
See Also: Kelly Ready To Have 'Honest Conversations' In Galway All-Ireland Pursuit
