IN a game that saw three goals and 32 points, four black cards, two point-black saves, exciting passages of attacking play and some ferocious tackling, one very brief but utterly unforgettable incident late in the Kerry v Meath NFL clash in Killarney yesterday drew the biggest cheer of the day from the 8,512 spectators.
Anxious to add a bit of bulk and guile to the Kerry attack, Peter Keane introduced big Tommy Walsh from the bench and the Kerins O’Rahilly’s star started to make an immediate impact, winning possession and using his height and distribution skills to telling effect.
That moment that had the Kerry fans almost bent in two with laughter occurred when the former Aussie Rules star was stooping to collect the ball on the sideline near the O’Sullivan Stand.
Suddenly, and apparently out of nowhere, a slightly over-enthusiastic Meath player literally landed right on top of him, with what seemed from distance to be all the grace of a buffalo in a pottery shop.
Dear @DWTSIRL
I found a new candidate for Dancing with the Stars 2021.
Name – @tommywalshkor pic.twitter.com/rwbVJSIIyV
— Killian Young (@killianyoung) February 23, 2020
Undeterred and putting his sheer strength to good use, Tommy simply rose effortlessly to his feet, his opponent was almost automatically and unavoidably hoisted directly over the Strand Road man’s right shoulder and he was left dangling there, legs in mid air, while the supporters let out the biggest roar of the day. And all the while, Tommy kept the ball firmly in his grasp.
The stadium simply erupted and the cheer that greeted David Clifford’s earlier goal paled into complete insignificance when Tommy flexed his muscle.
The RTÉ cameras at the game either didn’t spot it – or chose to ignore it – but some great snapshots of the incident have cropped up on social media.
A super photograph by John C O’Shea, shared on the Fitzgerald Stadium social media site, was accompanied by the brilliant caption: “Not quite Swan Lake in Fitzgerald Stadium but Tommy Walsh put on some performance”.
And, going one better, Tommy’s former teammate Killian Young couldn’t resist the temptation to contact RTÉ’s Dancing With The Stars crew on Twitter, sharing images from the incident, and suggesting that he had found a contestant for next year’s show.
Well Aidan O’Mahony, Whatcha think of that?
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