Shane Walsh made his long awaited debut for Kilmacud Crokes this afternoon as the reigning Dublin champions got their title defence off to the perfect start with a 25-point drubbing of Templeogue Synge Street.
Walsh had to wait until the 41st minute to make his debut as the former Kilkerrin/Clonberne star began the game on the bench. It didn't take long for Walsh to show what he was capable of, kicking over a gorgeous right-footed score after a trademark jink less than a quarter of an hour into his debut.
There was no sign of Walsh's eight point All Ireland final heroics as the new Crokes star had to make do with just a solitary score. The signs were positive for Kilmacud fans though, as Walsh linked up well with his teammates as the game progressed.
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Walsh's debut comes at the end of a tumultuous summer for the 29-year-old. His controversial move from his local Galway side to the Dublin giants raised many an eyebrow in the GAA community, with lots of people believing that there was no way the transfer would go through.
Despite making clear at the time of Walsh's request that Kilkerrin/Clonberne would object to the transfer, the Galway club ultimately decided not to and Walsh's move to the Dublin champs was passed.
While all eyes were on the new boy this afternoon, it was a couple of homegrown talents that caught they eye. Ex-Dublin star and six time All Ireland winner Paul Mannion kicked seven points in the first half alone and gave onlooking Dublin manager Dessie Farrell a glimpse of what the Dubs boss is missing.
Rory O'Carroll, another former Dublin great, bagged a brace of goals in the first half to put Croke's well ahead at the break. In the end, Croke's continued to stretch their lead further, ultimately winning on a scoreline of 3-25 to 1-6.
"Nobody is entitled to a position on a team - you have to earn your place. That is the exact same here," Walsh said after the game.
"We had a conversation with Robbie Brennan and the lads that there are 15 jerseys there, it's up to you to push for it. It's not your jersey. Everybody is in the same situation. The training has been quite intense the last two weeks since I joined."
It's hard to imagine Walsh won't start next time out though - meaning he will link up with three-time All-Star Mannion who is just back from a summer in Boston following an earlier knee issue.
Walsh's first involvement in the 25-point win at Parnell Park was to pass to Mannion who won a free that was converted, a teaser for what lies ahead.
Walsh said: "It's lovely and that's the calibre of player that is there. It's the same back in Galway as well, in the dressing-room you have different types of personalities like Damien Comer and Paul Conroy and these lads. It's great to get this chance with somebody you were competing against, now you are playing with them so it's great."
Walsh pulled off a trademark solo dummy before striking over a point in the 56th minute.
He smiled: "I was slagging 'Manno' on the way in that I never got to play against Dublin here at Parnell Park. It's always nice to say that you scored in every pitch you played in so that was just another monkey off the back, I suppose. The opportunity just presented itself so it was nice to take the score."
Crokes boss Robbie Brennan hailed the quality of his new recruit though acknowledged that critics of the transfer will give little credit for any success that follows.
Brennan said: "No matter what you do, that's probably going to be there. And like, had we won the All-Ireland, someone said to me it would have been the greatest because you hadn't got Paul Mannion, because of his injury, but I never really bought into that. We have a really good squad and the two lads obviously add to that.
"If we manage to do something with them, brilliant. And if we don't, it will be 'because of them'. That'll be the reason that we didn't win! So you can't keep everybody happy. We'll just look within and make sure we're doing all the right things."
Brennan said that while Crokes were unlikely to turn away a player like Walsh after his request to join, there was still a 'process' that he had to go through.
He said: "I've said this before, there is a process in Kilmacud and just because you want to join doesn't mean you get to join.
"There are plenty of guys who get turned away for different reasons but Shane ticked all the boxes."
The Dublin SFC quarter-finals are as follows; Kilmacud Crokes v Cuala, Castleknock v Thomas Davis, Na Fianna v Whitehall Colmcille, Ballyboden St Enda's v Ballinteer St Johns.
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