Wexford's Kevin Foley pictured at the national launch of the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
By Cian O'Connell
Kevin Foley waited and wondered. Putting the purple and gold flag on the Leinster hurling summit was the culmination of a decade of sheer hard graft.
It was a particularly satisfying success for Wexford, who edged out Kilkenny at Croke Park last month advancing to the penultimate stage in the All Ireland series.
Sunday’s tussle with Tipperary at GAA headquarters brings another demanding challenge, but Foley is thrilled that Wexford’s toil was rewarded in the province.
“Definitely, that is it, I suppose we bridged a 15 year gap beating Kilkenny,” Foley states. “It was nice to see the joy on everyone's faces and then when we came back home, the whole county was proud of us.
“The purple and gold was out. It just makes that effort worthwhile, we were a long time waiting, but it was worth every second of it when the final whistle blew. We were over the line, we were delighted.”
Davy Fitzgerald continues to extract dynamic displays from Wexford, who have made significant progress since the start of 2017.
“This is Davy's third year, in the first year we got to the Leinster final,” Foley says. “We were disappointed with the defeat to Galway, last year was tricky enough.
“Even from day one this year we said we would give it hell, give it 100 per cent, that every night we went training we set the atmosphere and environment that we were here to push on, to look forward to everyday as it comes.
Conor McDonald and Kevin Foley celebrate following Wexford's Leinster Final win over Kilkenny at Croke Park.
"Really our attitude and hard work paid off in the Leinster final. We are all delighted, especially for the management, the backroom, everyone involved outside of the panel or whatever. So many hours are given up, it makes it all worthwhile.”
Fitzgerald and Wexford simply appear to be a perfect combination. One thing is certain - there has been no shortage of passion or drama filled matches.
“I think it might be the crazy factor,” Foley laughs. “People down in Wexford are definitely mad about hurling, they love hurling. Davy is the same, he is so passionate, his love for it is second to none.
“It seems to be a good fit at the minute, everyone is getting behind him, giving him the chance to drive us forward. There is a good fit now at the minute.
“We are all enjoying it, but there is still work to be done. Hopefully he can keep us on the right track to allow us to progress for the rest of the Championship.”
Following the Leinster triumph Diarmuid O’Keeffe also acknowledged the strides made during Liam Dunne’s stint in charge. That hasn’t been forgotten either by Foley.
“Definitely, without doubt - Liam actually brought me into the panel in 2014,” Foley recalls. “I remember maybe seven or eight young lads around 19 or 20 that were the same.
“He brought us in, nurtured us, and gave us the experience of growing in that environment, being within an inter-county set-up and what it was like. He knew from being a past player what it was like and what it takes. He was brilliant for us and for our development.
Kevin Foley pictured at the national launch of the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
“Even in the Leinster final you'd think of previous managers and the work they put in. It is nice to see Dee O referencing him because he definitely had a part to play in the last couple of years within Wexford hurling.”
One area bringing confidence and conviction to the Wexford panel is the fact that they are unbeaten following five Championship games in 2019.
Three draws and one victory were posted in the round robin entering the Leinster decider.
“It was mad with the group stages that we had a couple of draws, that the Championship was so close with teams on the same points and it coming down to scoring difference,” Foley admits.
“I suppose the one thing that stuck in our mind was that we were unbeaten and still are unbeaten. We had that element that we can do this, we are still unbeaten, we are there or thereabouts.
“We felt we could get over the line with a bit of luck on the day and if we worked hard. That was the thing that drove us on throughout the Championship, that we remain unbeaten, that we were still there.”
That the Bob O’Keeffe Cup was brought back to the south east added to the feel good factor. Now Wexford crave to build on the success. It is what Foley longs to do.
“You'd hope so, we have got a taste for it so far,” Foley acknowledges. “We have to keep our feet on the ground, that there still is a lot to play for going into the semi-final.
Kevin Foley is an influential player for Wexford.
“It is important we keep our feet on the ground and remain focused. We have won the Leinster Championship, but there still is a lot to play for. We don't want this year, 2019, to finish like that, we want to get focused, to drive on again, to see where that takes us.”
Hurling remains central in the lives of so many people in Wexford. Significant coaching work continues to be carried out in the county. In his own teenage years Foley felt something was stirring.
“Even from my own development coming through the development squads and school teams,” Foley responds.
“There are great structures in place now in Wexford. You have your hurling 365 now in the primary schools, the kids are out training every morning. The secondary schools, you see them training every evening in the Centre of Excellence in Ferns.
“The structure is there for youngsters to develop and grow, to get their chance playing for county teams. That has pushed on now since we were minor and Under 21.
“You can see that, how strong our minor team was. We are starting to see that with some of our school teams, progress is being made, but we want to keep driving that on and to make more of it as the years go on.
“There are great structures in place, credit to everyone involved in schools and club teams. It is fantastic to see, hopefully we will reap the rewards in the future.”
Foley is doing his utmost presently as Wexford’s tradition matters deeply. New stories will always be crafted.
