AFL Finals 2023: Carlton star Sam Walsh’s journey from back surgery to the big stage

Sam Walsh had to watch on in both 2022 and 2023 as his side pressed to make finals, and now that they’re on the big stage, he’s making all the difference after a tough road back.

Wayne Walsh set out in a 12-seater minibus on Thursday from his Ocean Grove home with family and friends to drive to Brisbane.

Given the airline price hikes that was clearly the best option to get to the Gabba to watch his son Sam play in his first preliminary final. They’re planning to arrive some time on Friday.

“If I do any shifts (driving) they’d have to be the early ones,” Wayne says with a laugh in reference to the few beers the crew are expected to consume on the marathon trip.

There will be some early celebratory toasts given over the past 18 months the journey for the Walsh family has been as long and winding as the drive they’re about to embark on up the Hume Highway.

After three years of watching their son play every week and not miss a beat, they saw a different side to AFL footy as Sam’s body started to break down.

A tackle at training during pre-season in February last year started the spiral. Walsh required ankle surgery which saw him miss round one of the 2022 season – the first game he’d missed in three years.

Sam Walsh after hurting his injury in 2022. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

But it was the next game he missed, the round 23 loss to Collingwood when Carlton’s finals hopes hinged on the result which haunted him.

He’d developed a problem with a bulging disc in his back which was pinching on a nerve and sending pain down his right leg. It had got to the point where he couldn’t run without pain and even lying down had become an issue.

Walsh was forced to watch the heartbreaking loss to the Pies in the coaches’ box with the image of him with his head in his hands after the one-point loss summing up the horror day for his club.

“That really hurt him I think,” Wayne says.

What hurt him more was by Christmas the 22-year-old had run out of options and was forced to have back surgery to fix the problem which hadn’t been solved by a number of other methods including injections.

He had a procedure called a micro-discectomy which involved removing portions of the bulging disc to relieve pressure on the spinal nerve.

It meant he was immediately ruled out for the first month of the 2023 season but the reality was no-one knew when he would play again.

Walsh running at Carlton training after back surgery in January this year. Picture: David Crosling

“It was interesting as everyone gets injured but the unknown of it all was probably the biggest thing that was hurting him,” Wayne explains.

“Once he got it fixed he knew what direction he could head in. He’s had a couple of nasty injuries in pre-season which has knocked his seasons around which commentators don’t even think about once the season starts.”

That slight dig is a drive-by to some commentators, namely Kane Cornes, who at times has questioned whether Walsh was the best player in the 2018 draft despite going at No.1. (Cornes has well and truly changed his tune now and is a big Walsh fan).

Those picked behind him include Port Adelaide pair Zak Butters and Connor Rozee, the King brothers Max and Ben, Bailey Smith, Izak Rankine, Jack Lukosius, Tarryn Thomas and Nick Blakey.

You can well and truly put that chatter to bed after Walsh produced two herculean performances in Carlton’s fairytale finals run.

He was best-on-ground against Melbourne in the semi-final (34 possessions, 2 goals) and second-best – according to the AFL Coaches Association votes – against Sydney in the elimination final (29 possessions). He sits on 18 votes in the association’s Gary Ayres Award - six clear of his nearest rival.

Walsh has been a standout performer for Carlton during the finals. Photo by Michael Klein.

Reputations are made in finals but Walsh’s rise hasn’t been without its anxious moments given he strained a hamstring in Round 19 which once again threatened his chances to play in September.

For the second year in a row, Walsh felt helpless as the Blues tried to scrape into the finals. Thankfully his housemate Charlie Curnow did his thing against Gold Coast in Round 23 to secure a spot.

The Blues vice-captain returned after four games out in the final game of the home and away season, the loss against GWS Giants.

“We’re just been happy every week that he has been able to get out there this year to be honest,” Wayne says.

“It was a big injury and then he did the hammy near the end of the year which was obviously a bit of overload from still managing some issues.

“He’s done well to get back from it all.”

It’s no surprise to anyone at Ikon Park that Walsh has been the most dominant player in the finals. When they talk about him at the Blues headquarters one common term is used … the edge.

Everyone knows about his professionalism and work ethic which was in his make-up even when he was running around for the Geelong Falcons but there is something else which is hard to explain, or put a finger on, which elevates him above the rest.

Tim Clarke is Walsh’s midfield coach. He returned to Carlton last year after a stint on the Gold Coast so missed the first phase of the gun midfielder’s career.

“There have been a few guys in my journey who have been very professional, they tick all the boxes and there are a lot of guys who fit that category,” Clarke says.

“He’s one of them but there’s something else. He’s got that professionalism, he has got that athleticism, he’s got that competitiveness and then there is this edge that some others don’t.

“And that is in everything he does. When you see him train, he trains harder than he plays and it is every single time he trains. That’s the bit that stands out to most people when they first see him actually train.

“So if you look at it: he’s a good bloke, the professionalism and athleticism is there but then there is this other edge and that’s what promotes good players, they find another gear and that’s what is impressive about him.”

There’s ‘just something else’ about Walsh. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

The star midfielder leading his side to victory in the elimination final. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

Clarke saw first-hand the frustration Walsh felt when he was on the sidelines and said senior coach Michael Voss played a key role in keeping his superstar grounded.

“Through that period it was really difficult for him because he built so much of his being around training and competing, he always has,” Clarke said.

“When he couldn’t do that, he was very frustrated and he was beating himself up a bit about it.

“But he was really good for the younger players, he invested in some of the younger guys, sat down and did tape with them.

“He would come out on the training track and support them where he could. I don’t think his frustrations impacted the group at all and he was good enough to keep that to the side.

“Vossy has a really close relationship with Sammy and he was stressing to him to just understand that the big picture is the important picture to look at, not this week or the next.

“For a guy like him who is injured and he has had challenges which people just don’t see, you need to do all the right things to enable you to be able to impact when it counts and if that means missing an extra week you have to do that.

“He had enough people here that he respects and listens to who were able to support him but that still didn’t take away some of the frustrations that he was feeling.”

Teammate Adam Cerra isn’t surprised Walsh has shown he’s one of the best players in the competition over the past fortnight given he remembers being blown away by him when he arrived from Fremantle at the end of 2021.

“Just his training standards, it doesn’t matter if it’s a lighter session or a big session, he’s going 110 per cent,” Cerra said.

“His intensity for the contest and his workrate in transition is probably the best at the club. So we’re not surprised when he has big games like he did on Friday night (against Melbourne) because he puts in the work.

“It’s not just down to talent or luck.”