Dubs set for Wicklow

Manning and Devereux to join footballers

TWO Dublin club players are set to join the Wicklow Senior panel in the coming weeks when their inter-county transfers are finalised in the coming weeks.

Oisin Manning from St Jude’s and Davy Devereux from Ballinteer St Johns have both transferred to Wicklow as John Evans looks to bolster a squad that appears to have lost the services of James Stafford and Seanie Furlong for the coming season.

The pair are reported to have attended a recent friendly between Wicklow and UCD where a new-look Wicklow side were beaten by the students but plenty of newcomers were given game time as the squad prepare for the O’Byrne Cup opener with Longford on December 8.

Manning lined out at corner-back for his club St Judes in the Dublin county final against Kilmacud Crokes. Devereux is a regular starter at half-back for Gail Dunne’s Ballinteer St Johns side and is the brother of Dublin player Nicky Devereux. Both men have Wicklow connections. Devereux can lay claim to having Avoca roots while Manning has family connections in Ashford and Roundwood.

It is understood that Wicklow were on the cusp of securing the services of Kerry native Jack Brosnan who is teaching in St Kevin’s in Dunlavin but it is believed that plan was scuppered when he was invited into the Kerry Junior panel

Sources have revealed that Rathnew’s James Stafford and Kiltegan’s Seanie Furlong are not available for selection in what has to be a blow for the Wicklow camp, but the inclusion of county final man of the match Stephen Duffy and Rathnew attacker Mark Doyle can be viewed as positives.

Over in the hurling camp, it appears that a low turnout at training for the first two nights has improved, with 20 present on Monday evening. New manager Eamonn Scallan is very positive about the start to his tenure and says that 99 per cent of players are accounted for and that college commitments are the cause of most absentees.