Walter Walsh commits to Kilkenny hurlers for 2024
STAYING PUT: Kilkenny's Walter Walsh
Walter Walsh has confirmed he will be available to Kilkenny for a 12th season in 2024.
After helping his club Tullogher-Rosbercon into a Leinster junior final on Saturday, the 32-year-old told South East Radio he hopes to be part of Derek Lyng’s plans for the upcoming season.
Walsh famously made his senior debut for Kilkenny in the 2012 All-Ireland final replay when he scored 1-3 and received the man of the match award.
He was a late starting replacement for injured David Blanchfield in this year’s final defeat to Limerick and came on for Cian Kenny at half-time in the previous season’s decider.
Although Richie Hogan and Pádraig Walsh have confirmed they have played their last games for Kilkenny, the Leinster champions are expected to retain the rest of their veterans. It is anticipated TJ Reid will be involved once more and possibly earlier than usual with no Ballyhale Shamrocks commitments earlier in the year. Behind Reid (36) and Eoin Murphy (33), Walter Walsh is now the third eldest player in the Kilkenny set-up.
Having beaten Fr O’Regans, Craanford in Enniscorthy at the weekend, he and his club-mates will now look to claim a provincial title against Carrig-Riverstown on Sunday week. The South Kilkenny club previously won the title in 2008.
Meanwhile, Kildare are set to play all four of their Allianz Football League home games in Carlow’s Netwatch Cullen Park.
There had been some appetite in the county for those fixtures including the opening match against Cavan at the end of January to be staged in Croke Park.
However, the Carlow venue, which hosted the Kildare senior and intermediate football finals last month, now appears most likely to be their temporary home as Newbridge’s St Conleth’s Park continues to be redeveloped. It is hoped it will be open to stage the county finals in autumn 2024.
Kilkenny’s UPMC Nowlan Park was the venue for Kildare’s home Sam Maguire Cup Group 3 game against Dublin in July, although they changed for their All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final to Tullamore’s O’Connor Park where they narrowly lost to Monaghan.
Kildare hurlers’ Division 2A games have already been confirmed to take place in the county’s Manguard centre of excellence in Hawkfield.
Finalised Allianz League fixtures will be signed off by Central Council this Saturday. Between TG4 and RTÉ, a total of 55 matches are to be shown live or deferred with the Division 1 meeting of Kerry and Derry in Tralee set to feature in the opening weekend’s coverage.
