HAVING FORMER CORK boss John Meyler in charge of Wexford kingpins St Martin’s will “raise the standards even higher,” according to Rory O’Connor.
St Martin’s clinched their fourth senior county title last year before succumbing to All-Ireland champions Ballyhale Shamrocks in the Leinster semi-final.
Meyler is familiar with Wexford hurling. He’s a native of the county who also managed the Wexford hurlers during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Wexford forward O’Connor, who was absent for their county decider victory over St Anne’s due to suspension, says having a coach of Meyler’s calibre will be a huge addition for St Martin’s.
“A big appointment for the club,” says O’Connor of Meyler, who has replaced Tomas Codd at the helm.
“We’re a very young team. There’s great work being done with the club team at the moment. We have two senior hurling medals in the last five years, I think.
Any inter-county manager that takes over a club team, it brings big expectations and hope as well. He’s certainly going to raise the standards even higher. Hopefully, we can progress in Wexford again this year.
“The club is very forward thinking at the moment and we’re very lucky to have great structures within the club.”
That Leinster semi-final defeat to Ballyhale brought St Martin’s 2019 campaign to a close in November. After a long season in which Wexford won the Leinster title while also reaching the All-Ireland semi-final, O’Connor needed some time to let his body recover.
And Wexford boss Davy Fitzgerald was “more than happy to” give him an additional few weeks off before rejoining the squad.
“I was a little bit behind the lads but sure we’re all back to the same level now so it’s grand,” he adds.
The Wexford camp has undergone some changes ahead of the 2020 league. Brendan Bugler, a star defender on Clare’s 2013 All-Ireland winning team, has come into the backroom team as a selector.
Additionally, some members of the Wexford football panel have switched codes to join the hurlers.
Kevin O’Grady and Michael Furlong are with Fitzgerald’s charges now after opting out of the football squad recently, amidst rumours of discontent under manager Paul Galvin.
Bugler has made a seamless transition into the Wexford ranks, according to O’Connor, on account of the years he spent working with Fitzgerald as a player. Of course, he also brings his own ideas to some of their drills at training.
When asked if the Whitegate man brings an air of seriousness to training, O’Connor replied:
There’s no seriousness at training. If you were to watch training, when it’s time to work hard, it’s time to work hard but a lot of interaction, a lot craic and slagging between selectors and trainers.
“He played under Davy. The philosophy of his game might have changed a little bit since he was last with Davy but knows how intense training should be and where the standards should be.”
Unlike Gaelic football, hurling has endured few changes to the playing rules in recent seasons. However, there could be a major shift in tradition on the way. The white sliotar could be replaced by a yellow ball for the 2020 championship if it is approved at Central Council this month.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” says O’Connor about the prospect of playing with a different coloured sliotar.
“I just like the way the rules of hurling aren’t changing much whatsoever and I appreciate that a lot.
“The poor footballers nearly have to check the rulebook at the start of a new season, and it’s surely frustrating to have to practise new things. I think it [colour of sliotar] only matters if you’re playing in snow or back in the winter tournaments and you need it to be a little bit brighter.
But sure look, you shouldn’t be playing hurling in the snow.”
Rory O’Connor was speaking at the launch of eir Sport’s Allianz League coverage which kicks off on Saturday 25 January.
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