DUNBAR’S MOVE GRANTED
County hurler will be assisting Naomh Eanna this year
WEXFORD SENIOR hurler Cathal Dunbar has been successful in his transfer request to play club hurling with Naomh Eanna.
The inter-county attacker sought a move from his native Ballygarrett to the Gorey town side, with heavy resistance from his now former club.
At the outset, Ballygarrett-Réalt na Mara Chairman, Murt Fleming, contacted this newspaper to say they would resist the move, with the club eventually making a presentation to the Wexford C.C.C.C. in opposition to the proposal.
However, following two hearings, the local C.C.C.C. agreed to the request of the player, who stated he was residing in Gorey parish, to join forces with Naomh Eanna for 2018.
At the initial hearing the C.C.C.C. heard the various submissions from both parties before deciding to seek further information from the County Board office to enable them arrive at a decision.
Following the hearing last week, Aidan O’Leary (Shelmaliers), Chairman of the C.C.C.C., confirmed the transfer request of Dunbar had been successful.
Fleming said the player ‘somehow’ proved he was living in Gorey. ‘We are bitterly disappointed at losing such a quality player but wish him well,’ he said.
‘We received a good hearing from the C.C.C.C. who can only decide on what is put in front of them. They have agreed to the transfer request.
‘We will not be appealing the decision since the club has decided we have had enough of this whole saga. The players are anxious to move on, so we will concentrate on those players who have been loyal to the club.
‘Now our aim is gain promotion from Intermediate ‘A’ hurling, having been relegated last year. We have some young players coming through so we are hopeful of competing and winning our way back to the higher grade,’ he added.
Dunbar is a significant player in Davy Fitzgerald’s squad, having impressed at Under-21 level, and he has featured in all four league games so far, starting against Cork and coming on versus Waterford, Tipperary and Clare respectively.
He is expected to start in the final group game against Kilkenny on Sunday, as the manager has indicated he will be giving his extended squad an opportunity to impress.
Meanwhile, Dunbar’s Wexford Senior hurling colleague, Shane Tomkins, will be out of contention until April owing to ankle surgery.
The Askamore clubman has not featured with the team this year as he struggled with an ankle problem that has kept him sidelined since last year’s club championship.
‘Shane has had ankle surgery. He will be unavailable until April,’ Fitzgerald confirmed.
He joins a growing list of casualties, but the manager is confident that the majority of the more recent injuries will have cleared in time for the league quarter-finals.