Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2009 18:16:45 GMT
Devastating news really but it was coming. A marquee forwad like Tommy is irreplacable. All the best Tommy thanks for all your heroics this year. Big problem for GAA if this is going to become a trend, losing our brightest talent is a serious concern.
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k
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Post by k on Oct 19, 2009 18:49:08 GMT
Devastating news really but it was coming. A marquee forwad like Tommy is irreplacable. All the best Tommy thanks for all your heroics this year. Big problem for GAA if this is going to become a trend, losing our brightest talent is a serious concern. He is by far the biggest name in Gaelic football to have gone to AFL. |
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Deeb
On Probation
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Post by Deeb on Oct 19, 2009 19:42:29 GMT
Not a great week for Kerry football but look on the bright side, the likes of Gooch and Maurice Fitzgerald I believe were way better than Tommy Walsh (no disrespect) and the Aussies would never be interested in them as they are not that type of player. It is interesting to see also that they were never picked for the comprimise rules series (although Gooch may have been) as they were purely skill based players. Once Maurice hung up the boots, it wasn't long before Gooch took up the mantle. Hopefully there is a replacement waiting there to fill the gap. I think Kerry football will be strong enough to absorb this.
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Post by Kingdomson on Oct 19, 2009 20:11:33 GMT
It is very sad indeed to see Tommy Walsh leave but the very best of luck to the man. For any young person to get the opportunity to work and live as a professional sports person is fantastic. I hope it works out for Tommy.
As a selfish Kerry supporter it hurts to lose such a talent. I saw the near future as Donaghy out to midfield with Barry John, Tommy and Gooch providing the best inside line in the business. Time to forget this idea - for the time being.
At this point in time, we are blessed to have so many options for the forward positions so I think while we will feel the loss of Tommy Walsh, we can absorb it. The Kerry team will move on.
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 19, 2009 21:13:24 GMT
I am very sad to hear this news.
I wish him all the best and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude for the joy he has brought us.
I dont know if the aussie game will suit him and he might be back.
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Post by glengael on Oct 19, 2009 21:39:25 GMT
Very sad day for Kerry football although its not a huge shock , its still sad to hear that its definate.
Thanks Tommy for all that you have given to us in your short career to date. It has meant a lot. You scored 4 of the finest points that I have been lucky enough to witness a Kerryman score in Croke Park on All Ireland Final day.
I wish you the best of luck and good health in your new life and career.
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fritz
Full Member
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Post by fritz on Oct 19, 2009 21:54:47 GMT
Best of luck to young Tommy. I was lucky to visit Australia a few years ago and it's a fabulous country. I wish him well.
As with Mickmack, I am not certain if Tommy Walsh will make it in aussie rules- it's a big big ask. But best of luck to Tommy in the journey.
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Post by kerry07 on Oct 19, 2009 22:31:43 GMT
Ah I am sorry to hear this though it was expected. Being a selfish Kerry supporter I must say
it is a disaster from our point of view. This is a huge loss, you can't coach breeding size or
class.But I wish Tommy the very best and every success in Australia. I guess we will be
watching The Saints from time to time just to see how the move works out.
Remember Tommy there will always be a place back here for you so mind the health boy and
never forget where you come from.
Ciarrai Abu
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Post by patinkerry on Oct 20, 2009 7:30:16 GMT
O’Connor confident AFL-bound pair will play for Kingdom again By Brendan O’Brien Tuesday, October 20, 2009 JACK O’CONNOR is adamant that both Tommy Walsh and David Moran will play for Kerry again. The Kerry manager was speaking yesterday just hours before Walsh inked a two-year international rookie contract with Melbourne side St Kilda. Moran may yet join him though that has yet to be confirmed by club and player. "They would be a massive loss," said O’Connor. "They are the future of Kerry football but it is very hard for a young fella to turn down that type of opportunity – playing a game professionally in a country like Australia with the weather and lifestyle. "Of course they’d be a huge loss, but the fact is there are more people coming back from Australia than are going out there. One way or the other, they’ll be back playing for Kerry in the future." Asked whether he had spoken to the pair about their futures, O’Connor remarked "far away hills are greener" and described the AFL offer as "a great adventure". "They both said it to me and, at the end of the day, I don’t have any pot of gold to keep them here. "It’s an individual decision, but it’s very hard to stop a young lad going off and doing something like that." Predictably, the signing of Walsh made big headlines in Australia where he was liberally compared to some of the AFL’s best young players like Hawthorn’s Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, Sydney’s Adam Goodes, St Kilda’s Sam Gilbert, Port Adelaide’s Warren Tredrea and Carlton’s Jarrad Waite. "I’m very excited," Walsh said. "I’m glad all the speculation is over and I’m looking forward to going over. It was a very tough decision but it was just too good an opportunity to pass up. "I’m not under any illusions about what’s ahead and hopefully it will work out." Walsh signed on the dotted line after Matthew Drain, a senior St Kilda official, made a flying visit to Ireland from New York on Sunday. Drain said last night that it was "very pleasing" to finally secure the Kerryman’s services. "From our point of view, it was one of the reasons we gave up pick 16 (in the annual AFL draft) because, in the back of our mind, we thought we could get him," Drain said. "He is the best credentialed player to come out of Ireland. He’s very different to a lot of key forwards going around. He’s very agile for his height." Ricky Nixon, who brought Walsh out to Australia last year for a trial, has long been talking up the talents and potential of the player who stands at almost 6’4" and weighs in just under 15 stone. "Hopefully he will revolutionise Irish players in the AFL," Nixon said. "Most, if not all, have been running midfielders but Tommy is a forward and no Irish player has come to play forward in the AFL. He is a powerhouse player. He’s a born leader. He’s from an outstanding family. His father Sean was an absolute legend for Kerry and his two younger bothers are standout players in the juniors." Reports suggest that Walsh will earn AUS$50,000 (€30,000) a year and St Kilda will be hoping they can fast track their new recruit through the initial development stages as he isn’t completely unfamiliar with the new code. "With most players who come out of Ireland, we watch them, talk to them, and teach them to kick a drop punt," Nixon said. "The advantage of him coming out here a year ago is that he’s had a Sherrin in his hands for a year to practice his skills." Meanwhile, Kerry were close to losing another star player earlier this summer when Paul Galvin considered packing the game in after seeing red against Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. After everything that happened the summer before, the Finuge man had almost had enough. Galvin said as much to O’Connor at the time and, as he did then, the Kerry boss played down just how close he was to losing the services of a man who would go on to become player of the year. "Maybe he just needed a bit of reassurance after what he had gone though last year. To get sent off in a big game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh was a big blow for him because he had made huge efforts to change his demeanour on the pitch. "He showed great restraint all year and then that was a pressurised situation in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. He didn’t do a whole lot, but he did enough to get sent off and he was saying to himself ‘it’s deja vu again’. Maybe we just had to reassure him a bit because we know what he can bring to it when he plays." This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Read more: www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/oconnor-confident-afl-bound-pair-will-play-for-kingdom-again-103726.html#ixzz0USW8jSYS |
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Post by patinkerry on Oct 20, 2009 7:38:52 GMT
Kennelly could follow Walsh and Moran Down Under
Tommy Walsh on his way to Australia, David Moran joining him for a two-week trial and renewed speculation that Tadhg Kennelly may be on his way back to the AFL.
That was the news for Kerry football to digest yesterday; on top of injuries in club semi-final defeats for newly crowned 'Footballer of the Year' Paul Galvin and Austin Stack's Kieran Donaghy.
And with controversy surrounding Kennelly's revelation over his All-Ireland final tackle on Nicholas Murphy, Kerry manager Jack O'Connor has admitted "disappointment" with how Kennelly's recall of the incident came out and added it "wasn't the Kerry way".
O'Connor is clearly going to have to rebuild after attacking tyro Walsh confirmed that he had accepted a two-year contract with St Kilda while Moran will spend two weeks on trial at the same club with a view to joining his Kerins O'Rahillys club-mate.
"I'm very excited," said Walsh. "I'm glad all the speculation is over and I'm looking forward to going over. It was a very tough decision but it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
"I'm not under any illusions about what's ahead and hopefully it will work out."
Meanwhile, Kennelly, who is understood to be gutted by the reaction to the excerpt from his book 'Unfinished Business' in relation to his early tackle on Cork's Murphy in the All-Ireland final, is under pressure from his AFL club Sydney to return.
Sydney have lost several high-profile players since last season and are in need of experience. Kennelly is a prime target with his All-Ireland medal secured.
In his book, Kennelly admits he told the Irish media "what they wanted to hear" on the Monday after the final when he confirmed he would be staying at home.
"I described how my heart was with Kerry and how I felt I hadn't yet become all I could be as a Gaelic footballer. All of this was true but the reality was I didn't know what I was going to do. There were so many factors to consider.
"My family, my life with Nicole, my financial future, my sense of unfinished business in Australia."
As for the departures of Moran and Walsh, O'Connor said yesterday it was "a massive loss -- they are the future of Kerry football. But it is very hard for a young fella to turn down that -- playing a game professionally in a country like Australia with the weather they have and the lifestyle.
"Of course they'd be a huge loss, but the fact is there are more people coming back from Australia than are going out there.
"My own feeling is the lads have to find out for themselves. Far away hills are greener. They're young fellas and it's hard to stop them going on a great adventure like that.
"They're young and they'll be back and play for Kerry again -- no doubt about that," said O'Connor.
- Colm Keys
Irish Independent
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Post by austinstacksabu on Oct 20, 2009 9:59:21 GMT
Best of luck to both lads, andt to Tadhg if he goes back.
As Tomas O'Se has said however (paraphrasing slightly)......."we'll dust ourselves down and be back next year, it's what Kerry do. We play football".
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Post by Laoch na hImeartha on Oct 20, 2009 10:01:43 GMT
Lets look at the positives. If any county in Ireland has the strength in depth to recover from the loss of two or three players, its Kerry.
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Post by kerrygold on Oct 20, 2009 11:21:28 GMT
Lets look at the positives. If any county in Ireland has the strength in depth to recover from the loss of two or three players, its Kerry. I'm still trying to find anything positive with the recent development of some of the next generation of Kerry footballers, the pick of the crop at that, packing their/his bags and going elsewhere. Positivity escapes me and I won't apologise for it either. Maybe a decade of unprecedented success has softened minds and lead to a false sense on invincibility. In five years time a vital bridging link to continued success will be marked absent, eg. the present day Colms, Declans, Kierans that are now taking over from the older O Ses, Griffins, Murphys in term of leadership and knowhow. Acceptance associated with delusion is something that offers little interest to me in the real world of achievement and progress. Trying to identify with a highly driven commercialised Croke Park, lead by highly paid officialdom, resisting progressive change going forward in terms of making it attractive for the next generation to remain at home is causing conflict in my mind. I said midway through this decade on this forum that Marc O Ses generation would be the last one to accept things the way they are now, ie. poor fixture structures at club and county level, heightened media intrusion, increasing physical and mental demands leading to all associated pressures going forward. Yesterdays development is pretty black and white in my opinion, this is not just a promising county minor walking away but a fully fledged Kerry senior intercounty player. Thats a big difference in my opinion,one that leads to a serious questioning for me of where we are going direction wise in the gaa as 2020 dances on the horizon. Semi professionalism is inevitable down the road, in what ever form that might be, highend exspenses packages or outright semi professionalism. Take your pick. Try talking to the 20 year olds in 2020. |
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Post by ardfertnarrie on Oct 20, 2009 11:36:40 GMT
Tommy is about to speak to Newstalk.
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Post by austinstacksabu on Oct 20, 2009 12:19:21 GMT
Since I heard the news yesterday morning, all I've been thinking is:
"Our goal is now clear for 2010 - win Sam again, and prove that no matter what losses we incur, we have a most talented squad at the present time. Tyrone always complained when they couldn't do back to back because so and so was injured, or retired. No excuses now to prove we are above such losses".
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Post by ardfertnarrie on Oct 20, 2009 12:27:51 GMT
Since I heard the news yesterday morning, all I've been thinking is: "Our goal is now clear for 2010 - win Sam again, and prove that no matter what losses we incur, we have a most talented squad at the present time. Tyrone always complained when they couldn't do back to back because so and so was injured, or retired. No excuses now to prove we are above such losses". While I agree that this could be used as an extra motivating factor, I think we've proven this already. |
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Post by patinkerry on Oct 20, 2009 12:39:33 GMT
Has Tommy already been on Newstalk?, if not, do you know what time he is on?
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Post by KerryLad on Oct 20, 2009 13:28:19 GMT
Best of luck to Tommy and whoever may join him. Great chance for him to see how the professionals live. Small little picture of Tommy on the St Kilda website in their guernsey
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Post by Laoch na hImeartha on Oct 20, 2009 13:36:24 GMT
Lets look at the positives. If any county in Ireland has the strength in depth to recover from the loss of two or three players, its Kerry. I'm still trying to find anything positive with the recent development of some of the next generation of Kerry footballers, the pick of the crop at that, packing their/his bags and going elsewhere. Positivity escapes me and I won't apologise for it either. Maybe a decade of unprecedented success has softened minds and lead to a false sense on invincibility. In five years time a vital bridging link to continued success will be marked absent, eg. the present day Colms, Declans, Kierans that are now taking over from the older O Ses, Griffins, Murphys in term of leadership and knowhow. Acceptance associated with delusion is something that offers little interest to me in the real world of achievement and progress. Trying to identify with a highly driven commercialised Croke Park, lead by highly paid officialdom, resisting progressive change going forward in terms of making it attractive for the next generation to remain at home is causing conflict in my mind. I said midway through this decade on this forum that Marc O Ses generation would be the last one to accept things the way they are now, ie. poor fixture structures at club and county level, heightened media intrusion, increasing physical and mental demands leading to all associated pressures going forward. Yesterdays development is pretty black and white in my opinion, this is not just a promising county minor walking away but a fully fledged Kerry senior intercounty player. Thats a big difference in my opinion,one that leads to a serious questioning for me of where we are going direction wise in the gaa as 2020 dances on the horizon. Semi professionalism is inevitable down the road, in what ever form that might be, highend exspenses packages or outright semi professionalism. Take your pick. Try talking to the 20 year olds in 2020. How many footballers are there in this county? Are you honestly telling me that Walsh heading off is the end of us as a footballing county? You can't dictate to many young men of twenty what they can't or cannot do. Are you saying we should tie them down with contracts or what? Take your pick- a code with an amateur ethos or paid players. He will be replaced. Also, we have a net gain back from AFL this year over players heading out- coming back fitter, stronger |
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Post by 1stsub on Oct 20, 2009 16:01:02 GMT
Sad to see him go, but you cant blame him, play a bit of sport, sun & get paid for it.
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Post by aitelads2 on Oct 20, 2009 18:37:58 GMT
Best of luck to Walsh.. hopefully he will come home to his roots sooner rather than later.
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 20, 2009 18:48:39 GMT
Those who dont believe that this is a huge blow to Kerry should consider what the last 10 years would have been like if Darragh O Se had taken this route in 1995
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Post by narriesrule on Oct 20, 2009 20:31:41 GMT
best of luck tommy u deserve played brillent this yr and with 2 all ireland medals in ur pocket going to aussie that brillent you made the right choice i think amd if u decided to come back you will be welcomed with open arms back into strand road and to kerry too good luck tommy and have fun xxxx
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Post by glengael on Oct 20, 2009 20:40:04 GMT
Listened to Tommy's brief interview on Newstalk today. Just got it through their website.
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Post by nicoshea on Oct 20, 2009 20:43:56 GMT
Will mis Tommy... But understand why he is doing it... Hope it all goes well for him and maybe he may come back in a few years....
Best of Luck Tommy....Whooop St Kildas....
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Post by sullyschoice on Oct 20, 2009 21:04:36 GMT
I know its a great opportunity for a young fella like him in these uncertain economic times, but I was very surprised at the value of the contract, even for a rookie.
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Post by nicoshea on Oct 20, 2009 21:20:06 GMT
Havent heard how much it is for.... Dont think I want to eithre  |
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Post by sullyschoice on Oct 20, 2009 21:30:27 GMT
dont read this so.....its $50 aus dollars. I think thats about €30k
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Post by nicoshea on Oct 20, 2009 21:31:38 GMT
you mean $50k aus dollars.....
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Post by nicoshea on Oct 20, 2009 21:33:14 GMT
Era for a young guy, starting out.... Playing sport for a living... (Im sure as time goes on he will earn more...)
Will have to start following St Kildas now... (Ohhhh A St Kilda/Sydney Swans match could be cool - If Kennelly does go back that is...)
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