Jack O’Connor hints that Barry O’Connor could play with Wexford Senior hurlers in future

The Wexford Senior hurlers will return to action this weekend…

They’ll take on Kildare in Newbridge this Saturday to kickstart their Leinster Senior Hurling Championship campaign.

Wexford will be without Darren Codd, who broke his finger in the previous Allianz League clash against Kildare, however, Liam Ryan and Jack O’Connor will be available for selection.

One player that will be missing for the forseeable future is St Martins clubman and Wexford starr attacker, Rory O’Connor, who opted to do some travelling for the year. O’Connor revealed in a recent interview that Rory would not be returning to the fold.

A player that stood out throughout the Wexford Senior Hurling Club and indeed the Leinster Club championship last year was another O’Connor: Barry O’Connor of St Martins.

Speaking to SunSport ahead of the Leinster Senior Championship opener this weekend, new Wexford captain Jack O’Connor hinted that Barry could wear the Purple and Gold jersey in the future, which would provide a signficant boost to the team:

“It could be Barry’s last year in Australia, I don’t really know — I haven’t been on to him in a few weeks. But it would be super if he was back later this year and stayed for Wexford. He’s a super athlete and he kind of went after that himself from his experience with Sydney Swans,” Jack O’Connor said.

“He brought that back into the club and I can tell you, it’s very easy to have him in front of you when you’re defending, a back’s coming out and you just say, ‘Barry, go!’ and he’ll literally make up 50 yards in a few seconds. He’s a super athlete and I think he could offer something to Wexford if he was back in the country. You never know, next year hopefully. It would be great to have both him and Rory back,” the Wexford hurling captain said.

The thoughts of having both Rory and Barry join the squad in the future is certainly a positive one. However, attention must solely be on this year’s championship with Wexford’s opening game against Kildare taking place this Saturday in Newbridge.

There are a number of Wexford players that could call a halt on their careers at the end of this season — and there’s no doubt that those, Jack O’Connor included, would love to attach some more silverware to their playing careers.

It has been seven years since Wexford last won the Leinster Senior hurling title in 2019. Kilkenny have won all of the titles since then, despite Wexford producing some fine performances against the Cats during those years.

A win against Kildare will give Wexford some momentum heading into tougher tests — none more so than their next clash, which is an away game to Kilkenny.

In related Leinster Championship and Wexford GAA news, the Wexford Senior Footballers will take on reigning Leinster Champions, Louth, this weekend in the Leinster SFC quarter-final.