Major Waterford overhaul as several established hurlers depart panel

The inter-county future of Dessie Hutchinson is also uncertain. Up to 11 players who were part of the 2026 Waterford may not return for 2027

Tadhg de Búrca and Austin Gleeson are among the players who will not be part of the Waterford hurling panel for the 2027 season. Pic: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile

Tadhg de Búrca, Patrick Curran, Peter Hogan, Ian Kenny and Austin Gleeson are among a number of Waterford hurlers who will not be part of the panel next season.

The inter-county future of Dessie Hutchinson is also uncertain and is unlikely to be made clear until Ballygunner’s season has concluded.

Once hailed as the best centre-back in the country, Clashmore-Kinsalebeg man de Búrca won two All-Stars in 2015, when he was also acknowledged young hurler of the year, and ’20. The 31-year-old suffered cruciate tears in 2019 and in the ’20 All-Ireland final defeat to Limerick.

Gleeson, the 2016 hurler and young hurler of the year, had been in and out of the panel the past couple of seasons under Peter Queally. The Mount Sion star, also 31, had stepped away from the panel in 2024.

Hogan, 29, and Kenny, 33, have been instrumental in Ballygunner’s success in recent times but neither will be involved with the county. Hogan debuted at senior inter-county level in 2016 and Kenny made his first appearance six years ago.

Curran, 30, made his first senior appearance for The Déise in 2015 and was captain of the county’s All-Ireland winning U20 panel of 2016. Kieran Bennett, 31, is understood to be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

Hutchinson, the national club hurler of the 2025-26 season,
is believed to be considering his inter-county future. The former Waterford captain will be leading the Ballygunner forward line against the Limerick champions in November’s Munster semi-final as they look to retain the provincial and All-Ireland crowns.

As many as 11 players who were part of this year’s set-up may not be returning in 2027, which would mark one of the biggest overhauls in recent times.

In 2019, three-time All-Star Noel Connors and Maurice Shanahan were dropped by Liam Cahill, the same month Michael “Brick” Walsh decided to bring down the curtain on his inter-county career. Phillp Mahony retired a few months later.

In an open letter last month, Waterford manager Stephen Molumphy had promised there would be alterations to the squad he inherited from Peter Queally.

“Moving forward, there will be change within the panel,” he wrote in a social media post published by the Waterford County Board. “We intend to introduce a significant number of new players and give opportunities to players who we believe can contribute to Waterford senior hurling in 2027 and beyond.

“We know that the people of Portláirge want to see our emerging talent given an opportunity, and we are absolutely committed to doing that. We have a responsibility to develop the next generation of Waterford hurlers while also building a competitive senior team. Those two objectives can and must go hand in hand.” 

Stephen Bennett, who is expected to be in the shake-up for an All-Star nomination later this month, suffered a knee injury in the Munster SHC defeat to Cork in May. He returned to play in goal for his club Ballysaggart and is not believed to have made a decision about his inter-county future.