Kerryman Tommy Walsh has impressed in his senior debut.

Tommy Walsh has said his senior debut in the AFL’s warm up tournament, the NAB Cup, is just a “stepping stone” to greater things ahead and hopefully, one day, a tussle with his fellow Kerry man Sydney Swans’ Tadhg Kennelly.

The 22-year-old made a solid contribution to St Kilda’s NAB cup win over the Brisbane Lions and subsequent draw with Essendon at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne last weekend.

Playing in defence, the former Gaelic footballer had a combined total of 11 touches in the two 40-minute games and prompted praise from AFL commentators across the board.

“That’s why I came out here, to play senior AFL games. Friday was just a stepping stone, there’s a long way to go yet,” Walsh said.

The Kerryman said he would more than relish the opportunity to line out against Sydney Swans 2005 Premiership medallist Kennelly.

“It would be a great experience to play against each other. I’d say there’d be a few texts before that game and we wouldn’t be holding back from one another on the field.

“It’s just like playing with Kerry and then going back to play with your club. You play against your friends but for that hour you put friendship aside.”
However the Tralee man acknowledges that securing a senior spot come season proper won’t be easy.

The Saints are one of the AFL’s top sides and have contested the last two grand finals. Despite losing both they’ve vowed to again push for Premiership glory this season.

“I’m with a strong team and I accept that. So if I eventually break into the seniors I know it will be a big achievement because I’m playing with one of the best teams and that’s the sort of team I want to be playing with. I want to be playing with a team that’s competitive and looking for success.”

Walsh admitted that nerves weren’t a huge problem playing in his first high profile encounter. He certainly looked at home, even having a ‘lively discussion’ with an umpire on the field.

“I thought it should have been a free to us so I thought that I’d have a chat to him. To be honest I don’t think he understood me anyway, especially with the mouth guard in. He chose to ignore me anyway,” Walsh laughed.

While Irish recruits in the AFL are often labelled too skinny to mix it in the physical exchanges early in their career, Walsh’s strong build and willingness to get involved in the physical exchanges also attracted praise.

“I was big enough when I came out here so my strength has always been one of my strengths. If it’s a 50/50 ball I’ll use my strength where as other guys might use their pace… but you can always improve your skills and the more games you play you become a better decision maker, that comes the more games you get under your belt.”

His efforts didn’t go unnoticed in the live TV coverage. Two-time Premiership winning captain Tom Harley predicted Walsh would be successful in his bid to excel in the Australian code.

“I think he’s done enough to suggest he’ll make a smooth transition,” former Geelong captain Harley said.

The 2009 All-Ireland medallist was also getting plaudits from Saints’ star full forward and captain Nick Riewoldt in a pre-match interview.

“I’ve worked with him one on one in training,” Riewoldt said.

“He’s very strong, quick and he’s competitive. Look out.”

by Catherine Murphy