Kerry were on the crest of a wave when Tommy Walsh announced that he would not be extending his stay in Australia with Sydney Swans and would instead return to Tralee with the hope of making the Kingdom panel.
That was just weeks after Kerry had won the All-Ireland final against Donegal in 2014. It lifted the Kerry boat even further which was already buoyed by the thought of having Colm Cooper returning from injury for the following season.
Cooper's appearances last year did not hit spectacular heights. This year though, he has - at times - looked in sparkling form, spraying defence-opening passes to awaken memories of past performances in the green and gold.
For Walsh, it has been a different story. Two weeks ago he departed the Kerry panel, frustrated with his lack of game time for Kerry. To say he was a bit part player would be an exaggeration. During his 15 months back with Kerry, he started three games - League and Championship.
Following his withdrawal from the panel, it was speculated that perhaps more game time with his club Kerins O'Rahillys would have benefited Walsh. Speaking to GAA.ie, Kerry selector Mikey Sheehy admitted this was probably a correct assessment of the situation.
The one thing I would say about him he was working ferociously hard in training. Very dedicated. It just wasn't happening for him. It might be the right thing or the wrong thing by us that we didn't give him enough game time. Maybe the fact he's gone back to his club now, to Rahilly’s, he'll get plenty of football. The door is always open from our point of view. It's up to him.
In hindsight, when he came back initially, he might have been better off going back to his club. And then coming back to us. I hope it turns round for him. It's not physical, it's just sharpness. It's a different type of game to Aussie Rules. They're more stop start. Physically he's in super condition.
Sheehy also conceded that Walsh's transition back to the round ball game would have been aided had his position not been the subject of experimentation.
Maybe we should have nailed him down to one position. Last year he played a couple of games wing forward. Didn't suit him. We tried him this year then inside full forward in a few of the games. But he was probably unlucky in the fact that in the first two league games we were missing some marquee players. Maybe if they had been playing with him it might have helped him.
Despite leaving the panel, Walsh's inter-county career is not dead according to the eight-time All-Ireland winner.
To be fair, Tommy would still have been part of the squad except he decided to do this. And we understand his frustration. If he was playing well with his club this year and if he was interested I'd say he'd be hauled back in again. I hope it works out for him.
Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
