CLARE’S DAVY FITZ THE BILL
All-Ireland winning boss to manage the Wexford hurlers
NEW WEXFORD hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald was the unanimous choice of the six-person committee charged with finding the Model county’s new boss.
When his name was put before a special County Board meeting in the Riverside Park Hotel in Enniscorthy on Friday night by County Chairman, Diarmuid Deveruex, he received the unanimous approval of club members, who turned out in large numbers for the most crucial meeting of the Board for many months.
The appointment of Fitzgerald, who stepped down from the Clare job just two weeks ago, was received with acclaim by the club delegates who showed their support with a huge turn-out despite the meeting being called at less than 24 hours notice.
The management selection committee of Diarmuid Devereux, Margaret Doyle (Secretary), Dermot Howlin, Philip Howlin, George Foley and John Conran had met Fitzgerald in Portlaoise on Thursday, where he accepted the role provisionally, pending County Board approval.
Fitzgerald had an earlier meeting last week with officers where he took away their proposals and interest in having him take on the role as Wexford Senior hurling manager.
Diarmuid Devereux told the meeting that when they met with Davy Fitzgerald they sold him the projects for Wexford hurling to see if he could sell back a passion and commitment to deliver on this. In the end they decided he was the man for the job.
Devereux said they asked him to leave the meeting, after which it was decided to offer him the post. On his return to the meeting he accepted the position.
They all had agreements which were reached going forward.
The appointment, the Chairman said, is for a three-year period with a review after two years. Tellingly, he added that he (Fitzgerald) spent less on Clare winning an All-Ireland two years ago than was spent on Wexford this year.
He also said that certain members of his Clare backroom team will also come into the loop.
‘It was around 9 p.m. on Thursday night that he accepted the post as per the conditions laid down,’ Devereux added.
‘I welcome Davy to Wexford. He is an ideal fit for our young Senior hurling squad and I’m excited about the prospects for the future. The initial aim will be for Wexford to move from Division 1B of the National Hurling League up to Division 1A, and then to build on that.’
The Chairman said that two of Davy’s backroom team from Clare will be joining him, along with the strength and conditioning person. He will have J.J. Doyle as one of his selectors, and Doyle will also manage the Intermediate team, which he sees as a link with the Senior squad for the development of players with a view to bringing them through to Senior status, setting his sights on provincial and All-Ireland titles in this grade.
He will also have a second Wexford person, a former inter-county player, as a selector, with his identity yet to be revealed.
Thanking Liam Dunne for his contribution to Wexford hurling both as a player and manager, Ger Carthy (Our Lady’s Island) went on to welcome Davy Fitzgerald to County Wexford.
It’s a momentous endorsement of Wexford hurling that a person of the calibre of Davy Fitzgerald would take up the post, he added.
‘I would also like to pay tribute to the County Chairman and his committee for their work in attracting such a person to the county. Now we all need to put this together and deliver for Wexford hurling.’
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy delegate, Andrew Egan, endorsed those sentiments.
The County Chairman said Davy Fitzgerald is the ideal choice. He has coached at Limerick I.T. and has managed students who are sitting important exams, managed them to fit into his system, and fully understands the demands now on young players, both as students and inter-county hurlers.
Questioning the transparency of the selection process, Oulart-The Ballagh delegate Ger Doyle asked why was Liam Dunne brought into an interview with the committee knowing he was not getting the job, a situation which also applied to another Oulart man.
The Chairman said they had 28 expressions of interest, with five in Wexford among them.
This was whittled down, and he added that Liam Dunne was adamant he wanted an interview.
This was a squeaky-clean process, with everyone that came into the room given the same respect. With regard to Frank Flannery, he was never in contention for the Wexford job and never sought an interview, as he made it quite clear he want to get on with the Oulart-The Ballagh post.
‘Why any candidate would ring another candidate telling him he had no objection of him entering the race is bizarre, particularly when that candidate had not expressed an interest in the position,’ the Chairman added.
On the proposal of Philip Howlin, seconded by George Foley, Davy Fitzgerald was unanimously ratified as Wexford Senior hurling manager.
‘We send out a message of welcome from Wexford to Davy Fitzgerald,’ said the Chairman.
WEXFORD COUNTY Board Chairman, Diarmuid Devereux, has said the appointment of Davy Fitzgerald as Senior hurling manager was down to ‘fortunate timing’.
Now the Chairman hopes that the new boss, who was unanimously ratified at a special County Board meeting on Friday night, can help the Model county break into hurling’s top six, while he also paid tribute to the outgoing Liam Dunne.
‘It was just fate really,’ the Chairman said when referring to the circumstances surrounding the appointment.
‘We heard that Davy had left Clare, or was about to leave Clare, and sure there is no County Chairman in the country who wouldn’t have sought a meeting with him.
‘From the time I started speaking to him until right up to last Thursday, I just knew that there was something between Wexford and Davy that would work.’
While he expects the 2017 campaign to be a time for Fitzgerald to bed in his ideas and improve structures further, he is confident that the former Clare All-Ireland and National League-winning manager can get the Model county side competing for honours.
‘We’re number nine in the league. We’ve had some good wins, but we want to move from nine up the ladder, maybe to six, get into the top six and into the shooting areas for titles down the road.
‘The target is to move on the good work over the last five years and move us from number nine in the league to number six. If we could achieve that in three years, I think game on.’
A 1996 All-Ireland winner, Liam Dunne spent five years at the helm and, despite being interviewed for the position last week, was ruled out of the running.
Devereux paid tribute to Dunne for the role played since his appointment in late 2011, referencing his influence in the structures put in place that saw success for the Under-21 and Intermediate teams.
‘Liam and I came together five years ago when Wexford hurling was on its knees. Everybody knows that, we were going absolutely nowhere,’ he said.
‘We knew we probably had five years together. We had a fantastic relationship. I can’t speak highly enough of the man. Five years is a long time in hurling but Dunne understood the impact a fresh voice would have in the dressing-room. I’d say one of the first people to pick up the phone and ring Davy Fitzgerald and congratulate him was Liam Dunne.’
With development squads in place, 15 hurlers set to feature in next year’s Fitzgibbon Cup, and three college teams competing in the ‘A’ grade, Devereux added that Fitzgerald’s proven record with getting the best out of youthful squads was a critical factor in getting the post.
‘His passion and hunger for hurling is something that has to be seen to be believed. I have never met anyone with as much passion to take on a job,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the search for a new Wexford Senior football manager continues.
The Chairman said he hoped to have further developments on a possible successor to David Power this week.