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Hurling

hurling

Conor McDonald: ‘I want to win everything’

Conor McDonald

Conor McDonald

By William Dunne

Winning is a habit, and unfortunately for Wexford it’s not a trait that their hurlers have been accustomed to in recent years.

Now at the helm, Davy Fitzgerald is seeking to implement a winning mentality and belief in Wexford’s hurlers and it helps that he's inherited a squad including several players that have hoovered up silverware at under 21 level in recent years.

Wexford’s under 21s claimed three successive Leinster titles between 2013 and 2015 and McDonald was fundamental to each triumph, scoring a collective 2-15 in all three finals, 2-8 of which came from play.

Finally, after four years at the grade, he is no longer eligible to play under 21 and, at senior level now, he has no plans to relent on his underage success and thinks the mentality of that crop of players will transfer into senior.

“There’s a good few there at the moment”, he said. “I think now you’re only trying to win what you’re playing in. I know this time last year I would have been thinking ‘Jesus I’m going to win a fourth Leinster under 21 title’.

“It didn’t happen but now you’re just thinking I want to win everything at senior. I’m sure any player is thinking like that.

“It does bring players through and bit of success as well brings everyone though a little bit more and you get that taste for silverware and you just want it that extra little bit.”

Thankfully for the yellow bellies they got into that habit in this year’s national hurling league winning six from the seven games they contested.

Conor McDonald celebrates after scoring a goal in the Allianz Hurling League Quarter Final win over Kilkenny.

Conor McDonald celebrates after scoring a goal in the Allianz Hurling League Quarter Final win over Kilkenny.

The previous spring they only acquired two wins from six games and McDonald considers this U-turn to be a consequence of the new backroom team and their perseverance in attempting to get the players performing on a consistent footing.

“It’s probably just trying to get consistency more than anything”, said the Naomh Eanna clubman. “Last year we went and we barely scraped a win in Laois and we turned around a week later and basically got demolished by Offaly.

“That’s obviously the way hurling goes but to try and be up there with the big fish you have to try and get some consistency into your game.”

Wexford's early-season form was impressive but League campaigns are soon forgotten once the Championship begins, something that McDonald is keenly aware of. 

“I think for championship it’s completely slate wiped clean," he said. "As I said, we did have a good league campaign but who’s going to remember that in 12 months time?

“I know you are asking me about 12 months ago and you could barely remember it you know what I mean. But you’ll obviously remember the championship games.”

Wexford will kick off their Leinster championship this Sunday against Laois - the table toppers from this year’s round-robin - and a victory over Eamonn Kelly’s charges will set-up a potential mouth-watering home semi-final clash with Kilkenny in Wexford Park on June 10th.

That's a date no doubt that the Wexford faithful would savour, but McDonald insists that he has not once considered the prospects that would result from an opening win and feels that having a home venue for the semi-final would be irrelevant.

“I think the fans would go wherever and nearly fill a stadium themselves. To be honest I just haven’t put much or any thought on what comes after the first round.

“That’s not being boring or anything that’s just honest. It’s just all eyes are on the first game and we’d be foolish not to have our eyes on that and go for that.”