O’Connor: Wexford counting the cost of years of neglect

FORMER Wexford dual star George O’Connor believes the Model county is paying the price for years of neglect regarding the development of hurling.

O’Connor was a key member of Liam Griffin’s breakthrough team that claimed the Liam McCarthy Cup in 1996, and has spent the past three years as the county’s first development administrator.

But he reckons Wexford are clinging to the memory of that triumph 13 years ago, having gone without an All-Ireland minor title since 1968 and achieving just a single win at U21 level three years earlier.

This week he talked of the importance of “common sense taking hold” in terms of the future development of the game. For years Wexford were the only real challengers to Kilkenny supremacy until Offaly made the breakthrough in 1980, now Galway are there, and of course, Dublin have been moving steadily up the pecking order following successes at colleges and under-age level. So, in the context of Wexford’s semi-final game against them next Sunday in Nowlan Park, does he think it’s all the more important for them to win in order to maintain their standing in the province?

“It’s nothing at all about that, it’s not about Dublin about to take over from Wexford, it might or might not happen’’ he said.

“I know for sure that they’re going to put in one hell of an effort. The guys are putting a lot of work into it. Dublin hurling is on the up so it’s only a matter of time before they ‘catch’ someone.

Whether Anthony Daly can inject that belief into them remains to be seen but we’re very proud of our tradition as well. When we’re down we have a tendency to come back.’’

To go back to the start, O’Connor says the problem was simply one of not doing enough work “on the ground”, specifically in the schools — making the analogy with his work as a dairy farmer over a 20-year period.

“If you haven’t got replacements you haven’t got a herd. I don’t know if any of you are from a farming background or not but you need replacements of a fifth. The same wasn’t happening with Wexford hurling.!’’ The result of putting new structures in place means that they now have “good” under-age teams and a “nice” U18 side. And, he has the assistance of many of his 1996 colleagues, including Martin Storey, Adrian Fenlon and Rory McCarthy. “We’re working hard and we’re getting better,’’ he says.

Success at senior inter-county level would obviously boost their efforts, he agreed, except that what they are doing is not a quick-fix situation. “There are 150 skills in hurling and anyone who thinks you can pick up a hurley and play in an All-Ireland or play in a Leinster final whether minor or under-14 without the work in the schools it’s not going to happen.

“What I would say to each and everyone, let’s look at our own little yard first and see what it’s like in our own school. Judge our own school on the strength of hurling within our own area.

It didn’t happen in Wexford for a long time and we expected people in the national schools to do the work and that day is gone. These people have their jobs, and it’s a tough job nowadays, and society has changed. So, we need to put the structures in place to help the schools. We need to go into universities, especially the training colleges for teachers, and help them. Show the kids how to play the games that we love so much.’’

He explains that while they have adopted a similar model at under-age level to Dublin, they don’t have the finance to put a coach into every club. But, he appreciates that this is a virtual necessity in the capital because the clubs are so big.

“We have 49 clubs in Wexford. There are 76 teams within one club in Dublin so you need full-time people. If you think that at the end of the day after your work, you can come home and organise your club for the following week and the following week after that, it’s impossible.’’

He expressed the view that Wexford’s heavy defeat by Dublin in the under-21 championship (1-24 to 0-8) was the result of not preparing properly: “We came together late. We have a good minor team coming up. I’m in the job three years with structures in place. It just didn’t happen for our under-21 team this year. We didn’t prepare well enough. It’s not a setback, it’s just another kick in the pants if you don’t prepare properly!’’