Wexford senior hurling manager, Davy Fitzgerald, reflecting on some of the golden moments of his career at the EirGrid Official Timing Sponsorship launch. EirGrid, the state-owned company that develops and manages the flow of electricity across Ireland, has been a proud partner of the GAA since 2015.
By Cian O'Connell
As an attractive Leinster Senior Championship clash against Galway edges closer, Davy Fitzgerald remains firmly focused.
Despite the significant challenges presented in 2020, Fitzgerald knows all about Wexford's potential.
The provincial triumph last year illustrated Wexford's improvement, but the Covid pandemic halted inter-county action for seven months.
Club fare took centre stage, but Fitzgerald isn't making an issue about the fact that all of his players won't be available until the Wexford Football Championships are completed.
"I'd like more (time) in theory but listen, everybody is in the same boat," Fitzgerald states. "I'm not going to be one of these managers who says, 'God, we need more time'.
"Naturally you'd like it but the year that's in it, the way it is, and I appreciate every county is probably the same, so it is, like, there was people probably thinking that Wexford would get a run on everyone because their hurling championship was over in the end of August.
"It hasn't been the way but it's fine, it is what it is. You know what, the lads were happy playing their club and they'll be back in with us mostly so I'll have four weeks with everybody.
"I'll probably have two and a half weeks of good stuff and then last week and a half will be light enough."
Shane O'Neill is in his first year in charge of Galway. Is it tougher for those who have only been managing their respective outfits for a short period of time?
Davy Fitzgerald watching Wexford's Allianz Hurling League clash against Carlow in March.
"It would be but that depends on the team and the panel that you have," Fitzgerald replies. "If you have a panel that's there for a long time and you have a team that's been together for a long time, they'll pretty well gel together and bring it.
"You take Galway and Shane O'Neill, like, Shane is in for his first year but at the same time 99% of that panel have probably won an All-Ireland two or three years ago so they'll be up for the battle.
"They'll have their own system, they can revert back to what they've been doing all the time. It is tougher, so it is, but I think this year is just a strange year for everyone.
"You just have to roll with the punches. I've kind of accepted it, whatever it is it is, don't be moaning and just get out there, to do the stuff and that's it."
During the demanding months when collective training couldn't take place, Fitzgerald tried to assist Wexford's players in any way he could.
"We did a lot of different things so we did during lockdown," Fitzgerald states.
"We had a lot of fun as well as their own personal training sessions to do and we'd have checked in on that, but we had a lot of other stuff that we did, the kind of thing I like about them is that they're a bit of free spirits these guys, they love the craic and we did a few things over them few months that we'll probably keep to ourselves, but it was actually brilliant.
"They're a great bunch, they can have the craic and I think in them times, it was important that it just wasn't down to training.
"I think communication to each other, be it on calls or what we'd do every night, there was a lot of stuff that we kept in touch with and it wasn't just all training, we had a bit of craic."
