Wexford GAA 2010

Indeed it seems the threat of football isn’t the problem, according to Chairman of Coiste na nÓg-Loch Garman, Diarmuid Devereux,
40% of the clubs in the county could not field 15-a-side juvenile teams for the football championship, and 50% of the clubs won’t be able to field in minor football.

Tell that to the traffic lights.

Wexford is a town I like.

More hurling, Less Opera please.

I hear New Ross is quite nice as well?

This is so drastic that I’m doing some research on the Kildare hurling team to see how strong they are. Is David Carter the Gowran David Carter? I won’t enjoy Wrestlemania XXVI next Sunday if we don’t dispose of them comfortably.

Bandage is there any signs of a a good underage choir on the way up?

The Wexford Children’s Choir annual Spring Singfest is going from strength to strength. Performing live in Wexford Opera House is a real motivator for the county’s premier young singers.

Yes bandage, that’s him. There’s a few others too, David Kennedy of Tipp, (Munster player of th year a couple of years back i think) Paudie Reidy (Captained Buffers Alley to County Final defeat to Oulart last year) and couple morethat i cant think of but will let you know as soon as i do.

They beat Westmeath by 12points 2 weeks ago, but the had a disastrous result vs Down at the weekend, losing by 4.

Talking to a fella who was at the Laois Kildare game he said Kildare were worse than shite. Theres no way yer bad enough to have to worry about this lot.

Oh yes we are.

This is hurling we’re talking about right?

I was chatting to someone who was at the hurling yesterday and they report the following:

  • Carlow were a good bit better than us and would have won by a much bigger margin only for Gizzy Lyng playing really well again.
  • Richie Kehoe was dropped and not brought on (more anti-Wexford town bias).
  • Rory Jacob was sick. Keith Rossiter was injured, as he tends to be.
  • Carlow hit 15 wides to our 9.
  • Only 3 of our lads scored.

I wouldn say that. I was at that game too… Kildare led 6 to 1 - 2 approaching half time, then got a fella harshly sent off which killed them so i wouldn say worse than shite, just shite.

We’re very privileged to have Brendan Furlong of the Wexford People to report on matters GAA without fear nor favour.

Strategic Plan blasted

By BRENDAN FURLONG

Wednesday March 17 2010

ELEMENTS OF the Wexford G.A.A. Strategic Plan came in for some sharp criticism when launched at the monthly meeting of the County Board in the Ferrycarrig Hotel on Tuesday night of last week.

The 41-page five-year-plan, described as one of the most important documents for the G.A.A. in the county for many years, was given a rather haphazard introduction despite its supposed importance as outlined at meetings over the past six months.

Details of the document were only released to club Secretaries by e-mail last last week, while many delegates attending Tuesday night’s meeting had not seen it, yet were requested to vote on its inception to guide the Association in the county over the next five years.

There was no copy of the Strategic Plan available for the press at the meeting. When a Plan was requested, this paper was told it would be emailed to the paper on Wednesday or Thursday, but at the time of going to press on Tuesday it had not arrived.

The meeting had a somewhat bizarre start. Scheduled for 7.30 p.m., the officers decided to hold a Management committee meeting for the same time, with texts being sent out to delegates stating that the County Board meeting had been deferred to 8.30 p.m.

The majority of delegates did not receive the texts, arriving for the scheduled starting time, while the press were also not notified of any time change. So, after much waiting and frustration, the meeting eventually got under way at 9 p.m., some one and a half hours behind schedule, leaving County Chairman, Ger Doyle, to apologise for the delay.

Having dealt with the earlier part of the agenda, it led Clonard delegate Dave Ormonde to suggest that discussion of the Strategic Plan, given its size and importance, be deferred to the next monthly meeting. ‘It’s 10 p.m. now Chairman, with another matter to be discussed. It’s far too late to discuss this Plan.’

However, the Chairman said they would proceed, as the next meeting will be taken up by motions for the AllIreland Congress.

During the course of the discussion on the Strategic Plan, Coiste na nÓg Chairman, Diarmuid Devereux, launched a stinging attack on the top table.

Describing the lack of input from Coiste na nÓg as most disturbing and disappointing, Devereux said ‘it’s neither strategic nor is it a plan’.

He added that it outlined that this is a five-year plan which would implement a modern financial strategy for the G.A.A. in the county .

‘I ask why the modern financial plan could not be implemented by next Friday. Why wait five years> It’s far too long with initial plans being outdated by the end of the five-year period.’

The Coiste na nÓg Chairman also lashed out at a section of the report which he claimed was more relevant to the under-age board.

‘There is a section in the report dealing with coaching development at under-age which is to be implemented by a committee known as the Coaching and Development committee. This committee only met once in 2009 and has not met in 2010. The democratically elected committee of Coiste na nÓg should be implementing these policies.’

A number of speakers came out in support of Devereux, with County Chairman, Ger Doyle, clearly agitated at the ferocity of the attack.

It was also revealed that the Nickey Rackard League, one of the longestrunning school leagues in the country, was not discussed either in the drawing up of the plan.

Now the plan is to be implemented, but with a clear directive from the floor that it be changed to include Coiste na nÓg.

The likes of Carlow and Laois would beat Kildare by 10-15 points, I’d imagine Wexford will win by a couple pulling up.

I just realised that the footballers are away to Roscommon next Sunday so it’s clashing with the huge hurling encounter versus Kildare in Wexford. I really don’t know which game to go to now.

The man who put the 2nd last* nail into the cheap coffin that was Wexford hurling, Carlow manager Kevin Ryan, is to be a guest on Off the Ball later tonight.
*Final nail to be administered by Joe Canning in late May.

GMan, I think you may be misunderstanding what I’m saying, I’m making the same point you are - football hasn’t had a disadvantageous effect on hurling in Wexford.

I got talking about Wexford football with a couple of gentlemen today and I was making the point that I feel a bit sorry for the footballers. They put in a really big effort but they’re pretty much consigned to being an average team because the talent levels just aren’t there. Play above themselves and they could function in the lower reaches of Division 2 and fall below their standard and they’ll be a moderate Division 3 side. We’re basically going to be somewhere around that also ran level of between the 14th and 22nd best team in the country. We’ve got a 3/5 record in Division 3 with a shaky enough defence, a midfield that hasn’t really functioned and a forward line that lacks a cutting edge. I suppose it shows there are plenty of other teams plodding along in a similar manner.

I actually reckon if you compare our current side to the team from the late 1980s and into the early and mid 1990s then the quality of player back then was better than what we have right now. The likes of John O’Gorman, John Harrington, Seamus Fitzhenry, Louis Rafter and a few others would walk onto the Wexford team now - it’s just that the squad as a unit didn’t have half the commitment that the current lads have.