Avoiding relegation the immediate priority for Kennedy

Wexford camogie are hopeful a difficult few months is behind them following the appointment of Barry Kennedy as senior manager.

Kennedy, given the job this day last week, succeeds Kilkenny’s Martin Carey who vacated the role two months ago and is immediately tasked with preserving Wexford’s Division 1 league status as they face Offaly in this Sunday’s relegation decider.

Wexford native Kennedy is in the process of finalising his backroom team and it remains to be seen what players he will have at his disposal for this weekend’s crunch relegation fixture.

It is unlikely the St Martin’s contingent will be involved given their lengthy club campaign, which ended in All-Ireland final disappointment at the hands of Derry’s Slaughtneil, drew to a close only last Sunday.

The appointment of Kennedy, who guided Buffers Alley to last year’s Wexford intermediate camogie title, comes after a turbulent two months where Wexford lost all of their Division 1 league group games and were forced to hand Cork a walkover after not being able to cobble together 15 players in January. Wexford camogie lost half of their €9,000 WGPA grant for failing to fulfil this fixture.

Getting 15 on the pitch remained a problem for the following week’s trip to Galway, with a team of just 13 players suffering a 9-23 to 1-2 defeat. This run of results led defender Ciara Storey to label as “embarrassing” the lows to which Wexford had sunk.

A panel of 16 players turned out for their final group outing against Tipperary, which ended in a 5-11 to 0-8 victory for the Premier County. Relegation for the Wexford senior team would see the county’s intermediates, currently operating in Division 2, drop to the third tier in 2020.

The Division 1 camogie semi-finals also take place this weekend. Cork and Kilkenny renew acquaintances this Sunday at Carriganore (2pm throw-in), while no venue has yet been confirmed for the clash of Galway and Limerick.