SHANE Walsh was kicking frees for fun at training recently, left foot then right foot, when his Kilmacud Crokes colleague Andrew McGowan pulled him aside.
Even with two All-Ireland medals tucked away from his time as a Dublin defender, McGowan wasn't too proud to ask the Galway Allstar how he could make it look so easy.
"I've never seen anyone do it," said McGowan of the new recruit's ability to kick frees and spray passes so efficiently off both feet. "I said to him, 'How on earth do you get so good at doing them off both feet?' And he just said, 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!'"
Walsh has no doubt put in his 10,000 hours of practice on the GAA fields since he started out, honing his expertise. But the AIB All-Ireland club semi-finalist possesses a vital X factor too.
"I've seen players with some of his attributes - but not all of them together," said McGowan, on the bench last season for Dublin's All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kerry.
"He's very quick, can obviously kick left foot or right foot. To be honest, it's amazing for us just even in training because our forwards will learn from him and, as defenders, we learn off him too by trying to stop him. He's been a massive addition for all of us on the pitch, for our own learning and getting better individually as players."
In the absence of Paul Mannion since his ankle injury last September at the Dublin quarter-final stage, which subsequently required surgery, Walsh has shone for Crokes, kicking eight points in the county final.
There is a chance, albeit a slim one, that three-time All-Star Mannion could be back for Sunday's summit with Kerins O'Rahillys, the Munster champions. Officially, he isn't expected back until late January and apparently hasn't resumed full training yet.
"I think it would be a bit of a stretch from where he's at," said McGowan of a potential Mannion appearance at Croke Park.
"The fact that he hasn't actually done anything with us, and he's only just been doing runs and kind of getting strength back in the leg, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to see him on Sunday."
One player who could return for Crokes is McGowan's brother, Ross, who has played in defence for Dublin too. He lined out in last year's AIB All-Ireland club final at full-back, and then in last summer's county championship, before taking time out to travel.
"We're seeing him back now on the pitch this week," said McGowan.
"He'll put his hand up to start - we'll see how that goes."
Andrew himself, a two-time All-Ireland winner with Dublin who last featured in 2019 when he lined out against Tyrone in the Super 8s, could rejoin Dessie Farrell's squad as early as this month if Crokes lose on Sunday. He was recalled by Farrell last year and was an unused sub for Dublin's last three games in the Championship.
"It was kind of out of the blue," acknowledged McGowan of his comeback.
"But the only thing that's going on in my head right now is to right the wrong that we did last year."
That wrong, of course, is the AIB All-Ireland club final defeat to Kilcoo that Crokes suffered in February. A late, late Jerome Johnston goal at the end of extra-time stole the win for the Down side that day.
"Looking back on last year, and what we felt we could have done, I feel like it's haunted us for quite a bit," said McGowan.
"Obviously you can't think about it all the time but you try to channel it properly into the things that you do."
