Dave Guiney discusses his role as manager of the Wexford Masters Hurling team

The Wexford Masters hurling team enjoyed a comprehensive win over Kildare on Monday evening in Hawkfield GAA Club….

For team members selected, one rule is that players must be over 40-years of age, which in turn sees a lot of legends reeling back the years and playing the game.

Wexford defeated the Lilwhites on a score-line of 5-22 to 1-08 in their own backyard, but there’s no doubt that tougher tests await the Model County.

We had the opportunity to catch up with manager, Dave Guiney, following the team’s win.

Unlike other managerial appointments in today’s times, Dave tells Wexford Weekly that this appointment was on a very casual basis.

“To be honest, it’s not as official as it might sound. There was no selection committee, no panel of celebrity managers. The way it happened was much more casual. A few years ago, I was down on Ballybunion beach chatting about hurling, as you do, when I met Donal O’Connor from the Kileady club in Limerick. They were hosting the Junior B All-Ireland championship, where my club, Rathnure, was competing. We got talking about the Masters Over 40s competition in football, and casually suggested one for hurling.

“As I left, I told Donal that if they ever started a Masters hurling competition, I’d put in a Wexford team. And that’s how it began. No grand appointment—just a simple idea that someone needed to step up, and that someone happened to be me,” Dave said.

At the same time, it would be difficult to find someone as passionate for hurling in Wexford as Dave Guiney – so it worked out for everyone. Dave, a former All-Ireland winner and a long-standing player with Rathnure GAA Club, has also been involved with inter-county set-ups in the past. With that, he knew exactly who he wanted to bring on board. We are told that the trio would also regularly meet in Bomber’s house in Gorey, going through some of the best available players around, while having a cup of tea at the kitchen table.

“Thankfully, I knew I could count on two great hurling men, David “Bomber” Kennedy and Padge “Skinner” Walsh. We’d worked together on development squads years ago, and I trusted them completely. I do feel privileged to manage this team, but the reality is that it all came down to being willing to get it off the ground when no one else had.”

One might think that the Masters hurling competition is for fun only. But, that’s just one side of it. Many of the players on all teams are former inter-county players or are still hanging around with their clubs. There’s a significant competitive piece that comes with that. As a manager, one could assume that balancing fun and competitiveness could be a challenge for an over 40s team:

“For me, competitiveness and fun aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, they go hand-in-hand, even at this level. Sure, the intensity isn’t the same as at the inter-county level, and the commitment isn’t as demanding, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less serious when you step on the field. When you pull on that county jersey, something clicks. You want to give your best for your teammates and represent the unbreakable, defiant spirit that our purple and gold stands for.”

“Some of the lads hadn’t hurled in 4-5 years, and others have broken themselves playing the game for their clubs and county. But once they’re out there, it’s about doing their best and enjoying it,” Dave told Wexford Weekly.

Despite the fact that it’s an All-Ireland competition, it’s not a competition that insists on collective training. This is partly because of the challenges of getting players, due to their club commitments. Instead, the selected players are asked to do a bit of work themselves, to keep fit, and then turn up to the matches to represent the Purple and Gold:

“We met with a panel of about 40 players back in January, explained the concept, and let them know we were aiming to compete with matches in August or September. We didn’t do collective training. Instead, we asked the lads to keep fit with their clubs and told them we’d come together closer to the match dates. With the season not being split between hurling and football, it’s been really difficult to find a window to play without clashing with club fixtures. The players have been fantastic, though, really making the effort to turn up when needed. But as club matches move into their final stages, it’s going to be even more of a challenge to juggle everything,” he said.

The Wexford Masters hurling team for 2024 includes an array of talent. Players like Rory Jacob, Nigel Higgins, John O’Connor, Mossy Mahon, and Michael Jacob are all part of the team. We asked Dave who the stand-out performers were against Kildare. Dave actually came on for the last fifteen minutes as a player-manager against Kildare, but being the modest man he was, he didn’t pin-point himself. In fact, he didn’t pinpoint any single player – and said it was a real team performance:

“Honestly, I think a lot of the lads were surprised at how well they hurled together for the first time. Many of them have played senior hurling for Wexford, so they’re no strangers to high-level competition. Others are still actively hurling with their clubs and are in great shape. Kildare put up a tough fight, and you could tell they had done some training together, but we managed to get the win.”

“That said, we know there’s tougher opposition ahead, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s like in the song “the challenge of an ancient game”, sure that why we love it,” he smiled.

The Wexford Masters Hurling team will take on Limerick (away) in the next clash next weekend, Saturday 14th at 2pm at Kilmalcolm GAA club. The competition is run on a League basis, with the top two teams placed into a Cup final and with the third and fourth placed teams placed into a Shield final. The teams included in this year’s Masters Hurling Competition are: Wexford, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Tipperary, and Kildare.

The full list of fixtures for the Masters Hurling All-Ireland competition can be found here, while Wexford’s panel for their previous clash against Kildare can be seen here.