The Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tour of Croke Park with Martin Storey takes place this Saturday at 2pm. For ticket details click here.

By Cian O’Connell

Martin Storey climbed on to the Wexford team bus wondering and worrying. Near misses and tales of what might have been were dominating his thoughts. Would Wexford ever truly deliver on their potential?

So in April 1996 after Galway had administered a 2-15 to 1-10 National Hurling League beating every bit as comfortable as the scoreline suggests the signs for Wexford weren’t overly encouraging.

Leaving the Gaelic Grounds, though, Storey vividly recalls Liam Griffin being the only Wexford man remaining optimistic.

Valuable lessons were learned, but Griffin was the only true believer as Wexford journeyed back to the south east. “I remember after the League match against Galway, I got on the bus, I was captain, I was totally gutted,” Storey admits.

“I remember thinking I'm never going to win anything at national level. Another defeat again. I remember Griffin saying 'I think we are going to win something. Today we have realised that we just have to make a couple of changes. I found out today that Damien Fitzhenry isn't a wing back, that Ger Cushe will be full back not centre back, and that Liam Dunne will have to go back into number 6.'

“He was trying to settle a team coming into the Championship. It turned out he was right. I remember thinking what is this man after taking after getting beaten by Galway by seven or eight points.”

The previous few campaigns had been eventful, but Wexford were still being fended off when it mattered most. “Yeah, we had been close,” Storey states. “If you go 1992 and 1993 Kilkenny beat us, they went on to win the All Ireland. In 1994 Offaly beat us they went on, we had been close. In 1993 we had two replays in the League Final against Cork and the Leinster Final went to a replay in 1993.

“We were just close, close, and close. The team was maturing a bit, young lads were coming in. Damien Fitzhenry was a huge boost, not only was he a good goalkeeper, but he could score penalties and 21 yard frees. He settled, his puckouts were good.

“Young lads came in like Larry Murphy, Rory McCarthy, Eamonn Scallan, they came in. We had a balanced team, a good few of us were gone into our 30s with plenty of experience and the young lads had total inexperience, but youthful exuberance. They were gunning for it.

“Then you throw Liam Griffin into that mix as well, he was a brilliant organised and motivator. He left no stone unturned to get the best out of us.”

That was most certainly the case in the purple and gold summer of 1996 when Wexford planted the flag on the summit of the hurling world. It capped a remarkable stint for Storey, who had endured tough losses before enjoying splendid success for Oulart the Ballagh and Wexford.

“I played for 17 different seasons with Wexford, I have two Leinster medals and one All Ireland,” Storey says.

“I played 30 seasons for Oulart and I have five county medals so you lost 25 and you lost 16 seasons really with Wexford, but I don't put it down as losing a season. I put it down as you tried and that you were there. There can only be one winner every year, we were lucky to get it once. At the time it was competitive, Cork were good, Limerick were good, Kilkenny, Offaly were going well, and Galway were going well.

“You had maybe eight teams that were flying, we were just lucky enough to be competitive. I suppose from 1990 to 1998 we won one and the team that beat us you had six other winners from the teams that beat us. At the time it was knockout, you had no backdoor system.

“It was a straight shootout so I suppose you get a little bit of consolation that the team that beat you went on to win the All Irelands.”

This Saturday Storey hosts the Bord Gáis Legends Tour at GAA headquarters and is relishing the busy weekend at Croke Park with Wexford in action on Sunday against Kilkenny. “I suppose when you start playing hurling you dream about Croke Park,” Storey remarks. “I've been lucky enough that most of our games were in it because at that time there wasn't any home games.

“It was always neutral venue, your dream was to play in it and something you aspired to do. People would say you had great days, but I had a lot of bad days too in it when you were looking at Offaly or Kilkenny or some other team going up the steps to get a trophy.

“You were standing down on the pitch looking at them, but I still wouldn't change any of that for what I ended up with. Maybe at the end it's not exactly about what you win, it is about the effort, commitment, and what you put into it.”

Excited about the impending Leinster decider Storey is adamant that Wexford are nicely placed to deliver on this stage, but Colin Fennelly, TJ Reid, and Adrian Mullen will need to be minded carefully.

“They are experienced now, you have guys at 24 or 25, 26 years of age,” Storey says about Wexford. “They have won two or three Leinster Under 21s and they have no fear. They never took the big beatings off Kilkenny, Tipperary, or Offaly underage, they were holding their own so they have no fear of anyone really.

“That isn't saying they are going to win it or anything, but they don't have that fear thing thinking if they don't hurl well they could be beaten by 20 points. That happened and it is an awful thing to have in the back of your head. These lads going in against Kilkenny they have no fear, they just don't.

“They proved that in Wexford Park the last day. For us to win I think we will have to hold Colin Fennelly, hold TJ and the young and rising star from Ballyhale. If we can hold them to minimum scores from play, but that is the biggest ask in the country at the minute.”

Impressed by Fitzgerald’s diligence and ability to extract gritty displays, Storey reckons Wexford could develop briskly if silverware is attained. “I think so, I honestly believe that winning is the confirmation of how good you are, but you have to get it first,” Storey replies.

“That inner belief comes from winning. In my own career I was 30 years of age when I won my first county medal, you were thinking I'm never ever going to win anything.

“We retained it in 1995, I ended up club captain in '95 and Wexford captain in '96. You are nearly pinching yourself in '97. You had nothing a few years ago, now you are after picking up two county medals, an All Ireland medal, a Leinster medal, and an All Star.

“That is how quick it changes, that is how quick a whole team can change, and how a whole career can change. For the lads to win on Sunday it could turn the switch. All of a sudden they could be All Ireland champions. Last year we knew Limerick were a coming team, but they weren't really expected to win the All Ireland within that year.

“You were expecting them to come, but the more the year went on the more we saw of them and realised how good they were. They believed they couldn't lose. That comes from a bit of success. The confidence, having the right team around you.”

The connection between Fitzgerald and the Wexford panel is something which has struck Storey in recent years. “Davy is boosting the lads, he is driving them on,” Storey acknowledges. “Davy fears nobody and he is throwing that into the mix. Look at the way the players hurled against Kilkenny and everyone else, they just don't fear anyone. They keep to their game, there is no real variation from that, they go by Davy's game plan and system and they have totally bought into it.

“People often say it is very defensive, but we created two goal chances in the first half against Kilkenny and were unlucky not to get them.

“We still drew so I'd have no fears about playing Kilkenny in Croke Park, but that is the rock you could perish on because you always have to have some fear of Kilkenny due to their history and the amount they have won. It is coming back to the confidence you get from winning something.”

The Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tour of Croke Park with Martin Storey takes place this Saturday at 2pm. For ticket details click here.