Matthew O Hanlon before the Allianz Hurling League Semi-Final against Tipperary.
By Cian O'Connell
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With promotion to Division 1A of the Allianz Hurling League secured, Wexford enter the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship loaded with confidence.
Matthew O'Hanlon, now in his seventh campaign at inter-county level, is an established performer for Wexford, who face Laois in an interesting Quarter-Final at O'Moore Park on Sunday.
Wexford are hugely encouraged following the impact made in the League under Davy Fitzgerald's stewardship. "It's up there alright in terms of achievement," O'Hanlon admits. "We've been in 1B for quite some time, to get promoted was our number one objective.
"We achieved that with five wins and you can't ask for more. To beat Kilkenny in a Quarter-Final was a bonus and to play Tipperary the All-Ireland champions was great.
"Disappointed we didn't get to a League final, but they're the type of teams we want to challenge ourselves against. That's the level we need to try to reach. "From a League perspective I think we got as much as we expected as group out of it. Got promoted and hopefully it leaves us in a good place going into the Championship now."
O'Hanlon is also an accomplished Gaelic Footballer, playing Under 21 for three years, while also winning a Wexford SFC with St James in 2015. "The area I'm from is predominantly football, won a Senior Championship in 2015," O'Hanlon says.
"The New Ross district is football centric but for me, my grandfather played senior hurling for Wexford. It's something I'm passionate about.
"I would have always enjoyed playing hurling growing up. I suppose making a call for Wexford, if you're being realistic too winning a Leinster title in hurling would mean a huge amount and I think it's more realistic for a player to get there than trying to beat Dublin in Leinster football being honest about it. "But that's not to say I won't play football for Wexford at some stage or another."
Irish rugby international Tadhg Furlong was a school pal of O'Hanlon's in Wexford. "Tadhg and I are good mates," O'Hanlon states.
"He's pretty much a neighbour of mine at home. We were in school together. He'd be a year younger than me, but we were in the same class.
"I played a bit of rugby with him back in the day, but I'm just delighted to see him getting on so well. He's worked very, very hard over the last number of years and he's reaping the rewards for it now and fair play to him.
Wexford hurler Matthew O Hanlon.
"Tadhg is as down to earth as they come. He'd have no airs or graces about him. He wouldn't let be that way where we're from! "It's great to see him mixing with the best rugby players in the world, it's absolutely fantastic. It brings the spotlight to Wexford.
"It's great for him, 24 years of age picked as a Lion, playing for Leinster week in, week out and playing for his country is absolutely massive and best of luck to him now as they go down to New Zealand."
O'Hanlon's grandfather, Mick, was involved during Wexford's glory years in the 1950s so the 2016 Championship success over Cork was particularly sweet.
"I wasn't actually aware that the last time we had beaten Cork in the Championship was when my grandfather was playing so that was a nice bit of nostalgia afterwards when my grandmother told me," O'Hanlon remarks.
"It was a nice connection between the two and it was nice to achieve that. But look it would have been nicer if we backed it up with a Quarter-final win against Waterford and went further in the Championship."
That will be one of the aims for Wexford with O'Hanlon delighted with how Davy Fitzgerald is developing the team. "When I first heard he was involved, I was hugely excited," O'Hanlon admits.
"He's second only to Brian Cody at the moment out there I think in terms of managerial achievements.
"Having worked under him, I was just eager to see what he was about. He's hugely driven, hugely passionate, very organised and professional.
"He's got a great backroom team with him, we got a lot of work done early in the year. There is a lot more work left to do, hopefully get to the right pitch of the game for that and see where that takes us for the Championship."
