WHILE PLAYERS LIKE Lee Chin and Shaun Murphy have taken their games to new levels under Davy Fitzgerald, in many ways it’s the rise of Willie Devereux that epitomises the transformative effective the Clare man tends to have on his teams.
Star players Tony Kelly and Podge Collins were driving forces behind Clare’s All-Ireland triumph of 2013, as were Eoin Kelly and John Mullane during Waterford’s run to the All-Ireland final five years earlier.
But Fitzgerald’s regimes also became known for the rise to prominence of unheralded players like Domhnall O’Donovan, who hit a last-second equaliser for the Banner in the drawn 2013 final against Cork, or Deise forward Eoin McGrath, who thrived in 2008 and was nominated for an All-Star the same year.
Fitzgerald has a knack of making good players great, and making average players good. A rising tide lifts all boats, sort of thing.
“(It was a) big opportunity to work with Davy,” Devereux explains. “It’s a great opportunity and I wasn’t going to turn it down.”
A year ago, St Martin’s defender Devereux was 25-years-old and not part of the Wexford set-up. Just over two weeks ago, he played a full 70 minutes on the last line of defence in the Model’s first championship victory over Kilkenny in Nowlan Park since 1957. It’s been quite the rise.
He benefited from an injury to Damien Reck in April and made the most of his opportunity against the Cats.
That night in Wexford Park was the biggest crowd Devereux had ever played in front of and it felt like the entire county emptied onto the field afterwards amid joyous scenes.
“It’s difficult to explain,” he says. “You’re in the middle of a game, you’re not concentrating on the crowd I’d enough things going on to be honest without looking into the stand. There were times I was too tired to look around.
“Not that you wouldn’t notice it but you’re doing your job. You’re not standing looking into the crowd going, ‘Where’s Mammy, where’s Daddy.’ Do you notice that there’s 18,000 people there or whatever there was, and most of them are shouting and screaming, you do notice it but we’ve a job to do.
“Winning is a good feeling anyway, no matter if you’re winning in front of 20,000 people, if you’re winning league games or winning with your club, winning is a good feeling. That’s what we want to keep doing.
“They said winning is a habit. It is in a way and it’s always good to come back training after a win. It’s always difficult coming back to training after a defeat. Wins are great, I’m not going to turn them down. We’ll keep winning if we can and I won’t be giving out about it.”
What is it about Fitzgerald that brings out the very best in his players?
“There were a few tough weeks to get back into it at the start. Training is very good and enjoyable. It’s hard, it’s not easy.
“He’s very honest. He lays out his stall for what he wants you to do and how he wants you to do it and it’s up to you to go at it then and stick to that and play the way he wants you playing. There’s a great element of freedom there too to be honest.
“You can play what you see. He is good, he has great ideas and I enjoy working with him a lot. His attention to detail is very good and his honesty is just fantastic. It’s nice to know what’s going on and where you stand. You’re given jobs and it’s up to you to go and do it.”
Liam Dunne recognised Devereux’s talent and called him up as a 21-year-old in 2012, but injuries hampered his progression over the years.
“I’ve been in and around the panel (for a few years). I was in with Liam the first year he was made manager and I was there for a few years but I wasn’t on the panel last year.”
“(I had) a few injuries, nothing major. I had a groin operation and a wrist operation. After that breaking bones but nothing catastrophic. When you’re in a dressing room with the likes of Liam Og (McGovern) there and you look across.
“You know, do I have a big injury? I probably don’t have a big injury if I’m looking across at him. They’re probably earaches in comparison. Look it’s part and parcel of it.”
The Wexford panel is backboned by three Leinster-winning U21 teams, but Devereux comes from an older crop who didn’t achieve as much.
“The last time I played in Croke Park was when I was minor. I’ve played in a few Leinster finals back with Wexford (in underage) when we got beat. My experience of playing in Leinster finals hasn’t been fantastic, I’d like to think this one will go a little bit better than the last few ones.”
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