Wexford GAA clarify future of football and hurling managers Keith Rossiter and John Hegarty
MODEL MOULD Wexford GAA clarify future of football and hurling managers Keith Rossiter and John Hegarty
WEXFORD gaffers Keith Rossiter and John Hegarty are to stay in their posts.
Following the August meeting of the county board, both men will be put forward for ratification to remain in charge for 2026.
2
Rossiter will remain in charge of their hurlers
2
While Hegarty will do likewise with the Model footballers
It will be a third season at the helm for hurling chief Rossiter, whose side failed to advance from the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship as a result of defeats to Dublin and Galway.
Football boss Hegarty is in line for his fourth year in the hotseat, which will see the Models compete in NFL Division 3, after achieving promotion in March.
Hegarty's side were the first team to be promoted in 2025, with two league matches to spare.
Meanwhile in other hurling news, Tommy Walsh's involvement with Kilkenny in 2026 is in doubt after he suffered a suspected anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.
The Tullaroan man, 27, was forced off in the first half of last weekend's win over Clara.
Walsh, who made his senior debut for the Cats in 2019, started in four of their seven Championship matches this year.
The six-time Leinster SHC winner now looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, though the defender can take inspiration from Nickie Quaid.
Limerick keeper Quaid sustained a similar injury last November, only to return in time for their Munster opener in April.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Hallgrímsson has fewer Premier League options than ever ahead of World Cup
On the bare facts, Heimir Hallgrímsson could be forgiven for running for the hills. Approaching a World Cup qualification campaign where, in some quarters, there is a sense of giddy excitement that Ireland could nick a top-two spot and secure at least a play-off, the figures make for grim reading. The Premier League kicks off this weekend and Irish representation is so low that in the space of one off-season, the number of Boys in Green stars has been halved. Has there ever been a more bruising few months for the spread of Irishmen in the English top-flight? Relegation The relegation of Ipswich Town saw FIVE Irish, or Irish-eligible, players lose their Premier League status. Dara O'Shea will captain the Tractor Boys' bid to escape the Championship, while the returning Chiedozie Ogbene, Sammie Szmodics and Jack Taylor are also among that number. Marcus Harness hasn't yet pulled on the green jersey, but he made two Premier League appearances last season before moving on-loan to Derby. We might be waiting a while to see him feature in Hallgrímsson's thoughts, as the 29-year-old winger is now with League One side Huddersfield. With Southampton going down, it's at least a year in the Championship for Gavin Bazunu, Ryan Manning and Will Smallbone. Southampton head coach Will Still with Gavin Bazunu (Image:) At least in Bazunu's instance, he's back playing for the Saints after a nightmare spell with injury. And just as Kasey McAteer was getting to grips with the Premier League, scoring his first top-flight goal in a late-season win against Ipswich, he slipped through the trapdoor with Leicester. Other Irish players that won't be returning to the Premier League this year include Evan Ferguson, although he should benefit greatly from his move to Serie A with Roma. Killian Phillips was on the Crystal Palace books last season, but did not register a first-team appearance as he spent the year on-loan in the Scottish Premiership with St Mirren. He has now signed a permanent deal with them, so it's not necessarily a bad thing that the former Drogheda United midfielder, who won his first two senior caps in June, has left the Premier League. Continent The same goes for Andrew Omobamidele, who couldn't catch a break at Nottingham Forest, where he made just one League Cup appearance last season. Andrew Omobamidele of RC Strasbourg (Image: Loic Baratoux/FEP/Icon Sport via Getty Images) After moving last winter on-loan to Strasburg, he settled in quickly in Ligue 1, and this summer he signed a deal until 2029. Joe Hodge has six Premier League appearances to his name. Last season, however, his game-time was with League One side Huddersfield. After that loan spell, he returned to Molineux, but not for long. He has also gone to the continent, and is now with Portuguese top-flight side Tondela on a four-year deal. Last weekend he made his debut against Braga. So, for some who have fallen from the Promised Land of the Premier League, it's not necessarily a bad thing. But given the Irish obsession with the English top-flight, the numbers are pretty jarring. Many of us will take a greater interest in Serie A, or in the Dutch Eredivisie, where Troy Parrott has gone into goalscoring overdrive with AZ Alkmaar already this season. Troy Parrott celebrates his second of the night against Ilves in the Europa Conference League (Image: Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images) Eyes will be cast towards France and Portugal, and back to the Netherlands again where Anselmo Garcia MacNulty kicked off the season with PEC Zwolle with a clean sheet and a win over FC Twente. As a left-sided centre-half, with experience playing at left-wing-back, he could well emerge as a contender for Hallgrímsson. Premier League But what of the Irishmen that remain in the Premier League? Unusually, we have a manager and two club captains. One of Keith Andrews' first big decisions as Brentford boss has been to and the armband to Nathan Collins. He already has bundles of Premier League experience with Burnley, Wolves and now the Bees, playing 115 games to date in the toughest league around. This year, Collins will be joined by Caoimhin Kelleher. He played 25 times in the Premier League across the decade he spent at Liverpool, including 20 in the last two seasons. As Andrews' number one, this is the beginning of what should be a long career as a top-flight regular. On the former Ireland midfielder's coaching staff, as assistant head coach, meanwhile, is ex-Ireland Under-21 man Kevin O'Connor. The other Irish captain is Josh Cullen at Burnley. He is back in the Premier League after relegation in 2023/24, and will add significantly to his 28 appearances in the competition. The fate of striker Michael Obafemi is not so clear. After spending last year on-loan at Plymouth, he looked set to move to Turkey this summer, but the deal hit a snag. There is another concentration of Irishmen at Everton, where Seamus Coleman and goalkeeper Mark Travers could struggle for game-time, but Jake O'Brien will hope to build on the inroads he made when David Moyes arrived last January. Jake O'Brien of Everton in action during the pre-season friendly against Blackburn Rovers (Image:) Matt Doherty enjoyed a strong season last year at Wolves and the experienced Ireland international should feature regularly again this time around. His Molineux teammate Nathan Fraser is another potential Irish Premier League player, although it is not clear whether the Wolverhampton-born 20-year-old sees his future with the Boys in Green. It could be slim pickings after that. Alan Browne had injury problems last year at Sunderland, but it remains to be seen what plans manager Regis Les Bris has for the midfielder. Andrew Moran spent last season on-loan away from Brighton. The productive year he enjoyed at Stoke might see him nudge his way into the first-team. Brighton's other two Irish first-teamers, Ferguson (Roma) and Eiran Cashin (Birmingham City) have been loaned out for the 2025/26 campaign. The same goes for Crystal Palace full-back Tayo Adaramola, who has headed to League One side Leyton Orient for the duration of this campaign. In the dugout, though, there will be Irish representation at Selhurst Park, with Paddy McCarthy continuing to work as assistant manager, alongside his senior Ireland duties. As for the players that might emerge at some point in this campaign, but who realistically are longer-term prospects, there are some high-profile clubs involved. At Liverpool, Trent Kone-Doherty made his first-team debut as a substitute in the FA Cup defeat to Plymouth last February. The Derry youngster is highly rated at Anfield. Ireland Under-21 midfielder Jacob Devaney has trained with the Manchester United first-team this summer, while another Under-21 prospect Jack Moorhouse has left Old Trafford for a loan spell this season at Leyton Orient. Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has handed former Galway United prospect Alex Murphy a squad number this season, after his loan spell last year at Bolton. Cathan Heffernan is another Toon Army prospect and has captained the club's second-string side. And then there is Mason Melia, who is not yet a Premier League player, but will potentially become one in January when he completes his record-breaking €1.9million move from St Patrick's Athletic to Tottenham. All eyes will be on whether he slots straight into Thomas Frank's first-team squad, or gets up to speed further down the ladder. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
The day Galway re-organised hurling's top table
It was an extraordinary rise, simply because the fall had been so spectacular. At the end of July 1973, Galway's hurlers lost to London in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Within two years, they had won the league and an All-Ireland semi-final for the first time since the early 1950s. The achievement was notable at the time but 50 years in retrospect, it is of even greater significance. Since 1975, Galway, who had an at best patchy championship record – one All-Ireland and several final defeats – have been consistently at the top table, even if not always dining sumptuously. Next year, it will be eight seasons since the county last contested an All-Ireland and that is as long as Galway have ever had to wait between final appearances since the breakthrough of 1975 when they would lose in the final to Kilkenny's great team of the time. READ MORE A handful of players actually made it all the way from losing to London to contesting an All-Ireland. It was off the field, however, that they made the big change. MJ Flaherty, known to all as 'Inky' was a hurling icon in the west. His 17 years playing for Galway had brought some rewards – captaining the league winning side of 1951 and a Railway Cup with Connacht in 1947 – but his only All-Ireland final came in his last year, 1953 by which stage he was on the bench but he did play that day when Cork retained their title. Flaherty went on to manage his county later that decade and after the nadir of 1973, he was convinced to take charge once more. There were green shoots in that the county had three years previously won its first under-21 All-Ireland and several of that team graduated. For the 1975 season, the manager concentrated on physical fitness although he did bring in another former great to help with coaching, Josie Gallagher, whose influence was sufficient for John Connolly, the team's captain and only All Star, to credit him with transforming his line-ball striking technique. [ Galway rain on Cork's parade to claim All-Ireland senior camogie title Opens in new window ] All Ireland Hurling Final 1981: Galway's John Connolly gets past Eugene Coughlan of Offaly. Photograph: INPHO/ Billy Stickland From Division Two, they won the league, beating the big three in their knockout matches, Cork, All-Ireland champions Kilkenny and Tipperary. The manager also pressed on them the importance of analysing their game and the team's. 'I encouraged them to be self-critical,' he told Paddy Downey in these pages, 'and to be critical of each other when necessary but not in a hurtful way. I impressed on them that top-class hurling was more than a game, it was an art and if they aspired to be artists, they had no alternative but to practice constantly and develop all their skills'. An All-Ireland quarter-final against B champions Westmeath was the only championship practice they got before facing new Munster champions Cork, who had dethroned Limerick, in the semi-final. The late Joe McDonagh, who would be elected GAA president in 1996, told author Norman Freeman about the impact of the manager. 'Inky kept telling us that we could do it. He kept hammering the themes of self-belief and self-confidence. We felt great. We were superbly fit. 'We felt that Cork might be writing us off in their own minds – the Galway teams of other years satisfied to make a reasonable showing for most of the match. We were determined to give it all we had.' Iggy Clarke playing for Galway in 1984. Photograph: Inpho In what almost became a template for Galway teams, they effectively won the match in the early stages. Three goals within the opening nine minutes from Frank Burke, Connolly and PJ Qualter put them 10 ahead, 3-2 to 0-1. In what would become another recognisable trend, the lead evaporated and although the Westerners did well to keep it topped up, the match ended in a frenzy of one and two-point leads before they succeeded in closing it out, 4-15 to 2-19 before 27,020 spectators. There was no doubting the merit of the win, however, and Galway believed they would have won by more had the match continued for a while longer. Led by the exceptional displays of Seán Silke and Iggy Clarke in the half backs, their defence did enough to limit Cork's highly-regarded attack. It meant a first All-Ireland since 1958 when in an experiment, the GAA had been rotating the byes into the final so that Galway didn't have to play a semi-final in either 1955 or three years later. From that year on, the county had a largely fruitless – one match won in a decade – involvement in the Munster championship until 1969. Their relationship with Cork was different in the 1970s. The team they defeated 50 years ago was on the cusp of the county's last three-in-a-row. Iggy Clarke with a hurley from his playing days at his home in Oranmore. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy Four years later, it was Galway who also called a halt to the attempt at four successive All-Irelands. Again, Kilkenny intervened in the final. A year later, the dawning of a new decade saw Galway finally fulfilled with a dramatic win over Limerick, followed by Connolly's brother Joe giving his timeless oráid - speech. It all began with the win over Cork, 50 years ago this weekend.
Irish Examiner
11 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
10 Irish plotlines to track this Premier League season
Caoimhín Kelleher being the top dog Instead of sporadic cameos in the Cup, or longer but inevitable short spells deputising for Alisson, the Corkman has not had a clear run of games at 26. Brentford are giving Kelleher that platform and the busyness it'll bring generates a different type of pressure. He's withstood everything thrown at him so far in his customary relaxed nature so there's no reason to doubt him. Last stand for Coleman? David Moyes was the manager to pluck Séamus Coleman from Sligo for €80,000 and 17 years later, in his second stint at Everton, was determined to keep hold of the veteran. His ninth contract was sealed and he'll likely migrate into a coaching role for next season. Coleman turns 37 in October and injuries restricting him to three Premier League appearances last season indicate his outings at the new Hill Dickinson stadium will be irregular. Doherty continues to defy his critics People believe Matt Doherty when he claims immunity to flak, for he's shipped it since breaking through at Wolves under Mick McCarthy. He's back at Molineux two years after spells at Spurs and Atlético Madrid and heading into his final season under contract, the 33-year-old remains a go-to for manager Vitor Pereira. The return of Colombian Yerson Mosquera from injury will provide competition, something he's relished for club and country. Can Alex Murphy be the Irish bolter at Newcastle United? Be it due to missed transfer targets or not, Eddie Howe has relied heavily on 21-year-old Galwegian in pre-season. "The loan spell last season for Alex was pivotal,' Howe said this week of his spell at Bolton Wanderers. 'He needed that exposure to match action, has come back for pre-season and done well. He's been thrown into some challenging games and has always come out with credit. Let's see what's next." High ceiling left for Captain Collins? Appointed skipper for his country, Nathan Collins holds that privilege too at Brentford following the departure of Christian Norgaard to Arsenal. Those leadership skills were evident when handed the armband at Stoke City when 18 but he has backed it up on the pitch, as the only outfield player to not miss a minute of Premier League action. At 24, he's still to reach his peak. Cullen seeking Premier League consistency Another club captain and Ireland mainstay, Cullen's Burnley have been installed as favourites for the immediate drop. He's oscillated between the Championship and Premier League since joining the Clarets from Anderlecht in 2022. The experience of his last top-flight season should sculpt the 29-year-old into a better performer against some of the best midfielders in the world. Survival is the name of the game. Alan Browne finally reaches the Premier League mecca Browne emerged through the Ireland ranks as Cullen's midfield companion and he ended his long spell at Preston North End for a chance to leave Championship existence behind. He joined Sunderland on a three-year deal 12 months ago featured in just 22 games, primarily due to a fractured bone in September. He's lost his Ireland squad spot and there is the possibility of him departing the Black Cats before the September 1 transfer deadline. Jake's second-season surge Anticipation this time last year about the €20m purchase from Lyon figuring for Everton proved ill-founded as he didn't get a look-in under Sean Dyche. That was flipped upon the return of David Moyes in January. Slotting to right-back didn't bother him and equalisers that nicked draws against Brentford and West Ham United led to him labelled 'The Cork Cafu' by local press. A big season for Everton and O'Brien. Brighton's Irish candle flickering without a flame John Morling is back on the FAI's radar to fill the Chief Football Officer's vacancy and it was his spell as Brighton and Hove Albion Academy chief that signalled the influx of Irish. Evan Ferguson is off to Roma for the season, their €11m recruit from Derby County, Eiran Cashin, has been loaned to Birmingham City, leaving Andy Moran as the sole Irishman under Fabian Hurzeler. The German has only used the playmaker sparingly, strengthening speculation he could be on his way to Germany or USA. All eyes on Andrews thrown into the spotlight: The paucity of home-grown candidates for the last Ireland vacancy highlighted the lack of experience gained by managers at top-level. Keith Andrews will automatically be in the equation the next time because Brentford entrusted him with succeeding Thomas Frank as their head coach. That title is very much reality as the 44-year-old is left to deal with on-field matters. Leading the sack race won't perturb him.
