Galway footballer Shane Walsh has admitted that the constant chat around his transfer to Dublin club Kilmacud Crokes is frustrating.
The All-Star transferred to Dublin in 2022 from his home club, Kilkerrin-Clonberne. Speaking to the Sideline Live podcast, Walsh said recent speculation linking him to another move was completely ill-founded.
“The odd thing pops up on social media. Oh, certain player is transferring club and it’s my head stuck in the middle, even though I have nothing to do with it. I did it a couple of years ago and automatically it keeps getting drawn onto this image of me being there.
“It is quite annoying because I have done the same as lots of other players and they are still doing it at this present time, moving clubs. For whatever reasons they have themselves, I’m sure they are all worthy of it. At the end of the day, that is all it was. That’s the annoying thing, you are painted with this brush, no more than, you hear these things of moving to Salthill, moving to Ballina.
“The Salthill stuff, I’m just like where is this coming from? I was getting phone calls while I was out in Portugal. ‘Are you moving to Salthill?’ Why would I move to Salthill? I’m not from Salthill. I’m not living in Salthill. I live in Dublin. If I was going home to Galway, I’d be going to my home club. I wouldn’t be going somewhere else. That sort of stuff, I am probably old enough and I’ve really good people around me.”
In a wide-ranging interview, the 32-year-old opened up on his 2023 season being the biggest setback of his career so far, to the point he questioned should he have played for Galway that year.
“I just felt the year that had gone by before was so exhausting. The whole experience, it was probably the first time I felt psychologically I was challenged. I just never could shake it.
“There was a bit of pressure off the club transfer; we won the All-Ireland in the club, expectation levels were high. I felt psychologically I wasn’t in a position to be there.”
Walsh believes the biggest challenge for the modern player is a mental one.
“Mentally, I think the demand that is on players now, it’s just the criticism that comes with it for players, especially younger players now. I’m probably thick enough to get on with it, but younger players coming on the scene and it doesn’t go well for them, all of a sudden you are open to this platform: user 246 coming in to say this lad is not worth a damn. These sort of things are being said.
“You are saying, put yourself in that scenario, would you like that said about yourself? That is what you wish would happen at those times. I always say, that person might not have had their best day. Simple as that. No one needs to go anymore with it in that sense. That player could have something going on off the field that is affecting their game. Be it work, somebody sick at home, there are so many scenarios hat go on. That’s why, I’ve learned you are not as quick to pass judgement on someone now.”
Listen to the full Sideline Live interview on Spotify.