Wexford up for Waterford battle as Liam Dunne speculation dismissed

Reports claiming the Wexford senior hurlers are in a state of disorder ahead of Sunday’s Division 1 quarter-final against Waterford have been dismissed by team sources.

Manager Liam Dunne will this morning return from a short holiday in Spain before he meets his players this evening in advance of the game in Innovate Wexford Park.

Contrary to speculation, Dunne has only missed one training session since he left the country on Friday.

Having agreed that players would be released to line out with the clubs this past weekend, the Oulart-the-Ballagh man organised a session in the county’s Centre of Excellence on Easter Monday night, which was taken by his hurling coach Willie Cleary who was assisted by physical trainer Gerry Fitzpatrick and Tom Mullally.

As coach, Cleary regularly takes charge of such field sessions and Dunne is understood to have received updates from the practice.

“The fellas are well up for this match next Sunday,” said a Wexford insider. “Things are very far from disarray. The fellas have nothing to lose. They’re playing the league champions. Hopefully, the hurling will do the talking.”

County chairman Diarmuid Devereux also played down a claim the board have not been able to make contact with the manager — “He has taken four nights of a break and he’ll be at training Wednesday and Friday night.”

Pressure from certain quarters in the county has been mounting on Dunne in recent weeks following a Division 1B campaign where they narrowly beat Laois last Sunday week to avoid a relegation play-off. Dunne had been without several key players in the early part of the campaign where they were beaten by Limerick and at home to Clare, thus ending their hopes of promotion to Division 1A.

A board meeting scheduled for last night has been deferred until next Tuesday where it is expected Wexford’s league performance will be debated.