Mixed views on Davy’s decision to stay at the helm

DEAR SIR,

When I saw that Davy Fitzgerald was staying on for a third year I was happy, but then in another way I was not.

Don’t get me wrong, he has done well up to a certain point; we got promoted to Division 1.

He failed to get to a Leinster final, nine points up, and got beaten by one point - he did not make the right moves.

Brian Cody would not leave it late, he will make changes straight away no matter who you are.

Davy has given fantastic commitment to Wexford, but if you look back on our game v. Clare he played McDonald up front on his own.

It was a knockout game, so you should put more people attacking, and it’s one day that he was so quiet on the line, not like other games.

He talks about having beaten Limerick, Galway and losing out to Kilkenny by a point. Everyone said that Kilkenny would be relegated - they won the league.

Limerick and Galway are in the All-Ireland, so who has made the most progress? Now, he has said he is going to take them to another level. The only way he can do that is to revert back to 15 on 15. The County Board pay his wages and they should insist on that.

When Davy won an All-Ireland with Clare it was the first time a sweeper was used, and not since then has any team won the All-Ireland playing a sweeper.

If you look at Clare and Galway in the semi-final, Clare used the sweeper for the first-half in that game but they went to 15 on 15 in the second-half. In both games they outscored Galway and only lost by a point.

So, that tells the story, no sweeper. Hurling is all about marking, when you play a sweeper, players have to do more running and they are tired.

Finally, one or two players on the team have big egos and are in the papers and on TV a lot. Sometimes they are not putting it in on the pitch as we saw against Clare and he should have taken them off.

You see Kilkenny players with four to ten All-Ireland medals in their back pocket, and you never see them in the limelight; Brian Cody would not allow it.

I don’t mind players making something out of the game, they deserve it, but your hurling comes first.

Davy has some good Under-21s coming into the panel and if players are not pulling their weight, Davy should drop them; you are only as good as your last game.

I am only saying what a lot of people are thinking and you have to take criticism as well as give it as long as it is constructive.

Also, may I wish James Owens the very best in the All-Ireland final.

Yours sincerely,

John Bennett, 28 Rosbercon,

New Ross.