Report: Kilkenny great Tommy Walsh has retired from inter-county hurling

Arguably the greatest player of his generation has hung up his hurl

For over a decade, Tommy Walsh was the epitome of Kilkenny hurling. Fearless, skilful, able to play in multiple positions and a winner, Walsh was regularly cited by players from other counties as their least favourite opponent. So news of his retirement today is probably greeted with a sigh of relief by any number of inter-county stars this morning.

#Kilkenny county hurler Tommy Walsh has announced his retirement from intercounty hurling on #KCLRBreakfast More in #News across morning — KCLR 96FM (@kclr96fm) November 20, 2014

The Tullaroan man played most of his career as a wing back, dominating the opposition's most fearsome forwards, on the air and on the ground, despite usually giving up inches in height to his foe. He won his first All Ireland, and All Star in 2003 and he just kept winning them, eventually ending up with nine of each, a remarkable tally, even for a Kilkenny player. This season saw him slip from Brian Cody's first XV so that may be the reason behind his decision to retire today but aged just 31, we won't rule out a comeback just yet.