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McDonald regards Wexford's season as a failure

Conor McDonald of Wexford was at Dublin Airport this morning where Aer Lingus, in partnership with the GAA and GPA, unveiled the one-of-a-kind customised playing kit for the Fenway Hurling Classic which takes place at Fenway Park in Boston on November 18th.

Conor McDonald of Wexford was at Dublin Airport this morning where Aer Lingus, in partnership with the GAA and GPA, unveiled the one-of-a-kind customised playing kit for the Fenway Hurling Classic which takes place at Fenway Park in Boston on November 18th.

By John Harrington

Conor McDonald doesn’t try to sugar-coat it – he regards Wexford's 2018 hurling season as a failure.

A one-point defeat to Kilkenny in Nowlan Park cost them a place in the Leinster Final and they were subsequently defeated in the All-Ireland Quarter-Final by Clare.

They exited the Championship at the same juncture in 2017, so they didn’t make anything like the sort of progress this year that McDonald would have hoped for.

“I've said it a few times now, for me personally I would find that if I'm not winning silverware or part of a team that's winning silverware then it's a failure,” said McDonald at the launch of the playing kits for the Fenway Hurling Classic in Boston.

“The moral victories now for this team I think are washed away.

“Really, we were beaten in a quarter-final and that's where we exited the last couple of years. Until we overcome that then we won't be showing we're progressing.

“It was obviously really disappointing to leave (the Championship) the way we did. I suppose the only way we can put that right is hopefully go on into the New Year and attack it.

“You're in the wrong sport or you're playing at the wrong level if you're okay with being beaten in quarter-finals or semi-finals.”

When Davy Fitzgerald took charge of Wexford in 2017 he immediately raised their standards.

Davy Fitzgerald and the Wexford hurlers have a strong bond. 

Davy Fitzgerald and the Wexford hurlers have a strong bond. 

McDonald believes the Clare native is the sort of manager who can oversee a sustained improvement in the long-term, not just the short-term, and says those who suggest otherwise are guilty of ‘lazy analysis’.

“We're going into our third season so if we win then all those years when people are saying that about Davy will be shot out the window,” said McDonald.

“If we turn around and win an All-Ireland Final next year, and please God we will, are people going to say Davy is a one-trick pony for two years considering he'll have spent three years with us?

“I find it hard to believe that this is still a thing. He's probably one of the best coaches around. If you're that, you're not going to only be able to sustain something for two years, are you?

“I think it's probably a little bit of lazy analysis. Hopefully time will tell and prove me right.”

The high standing that the Wexford players hold Fitzgerald in was vividly illustrated when most of the panel travelled to his house in Clare recently to persuade him to stay on for the 2019 season.

It wasn’t simply a case of the players telling Davy how much they loved him though. It was a constructive meeting where both sides gave their views on how to raise standards further going forward.

“I think the players and the management have a really good relationship at the moment,” said McDonald.

“It was probably blown out of proportion a small bit. It was just a get together where everyone expressed their feelings.

“Both parties obviously feel that being together going into the New Year is the best way forward and hopefully it is.

“Listen, if you're not winning or getting where you want to be then there's obviously things underlying on both parties that may not be up to scratch, you know.

“I'm sure you all know Davy by now, he's as honest as they come. If he feels there's something not right then he's going to express that. He expects that from the players as well. It's a two-way street, and that's what makes Davy one of the best managers around.

“Although people might not think it, he allows for that two-way street where you can express your feelings and he'll try to accommodate you as best as possible.”