Lee Chin claimed that Davy Fitzgerald is only present at the Wexford Senior hurlers training sessions ‘in spirit’.
Conal Keaney and Damien Hayes don’t believe him for a second.
The Wexford manager is in the middle of an eight-week suspension for his incursion onto the field of play, and his subsequent altercation with Tipperary players during their National Hurling League semi-final in April.
Fitzgerald is banned from all GAA activity, which means that, in theory, he hasn’t been allowed to attend any training sessions since the beginning of his ban, and won’t be until its end on June 10th, the day of the Leinster Hurling semi-final.
Lee Chin said to the Irish Examiner this morning that Fitzgerald has not been present at any of Wexford’s training sessions since the ban and that he has been communicating with his players by phone and online messaging services.
“There’s a lot of contact through mobiles and social media, in terms of WhatsApp stuff like that. In terms of his presence at training, he’s only there in spirit. All we can do is just be in contact through any other alternative.”
“I presume he will feature at some stage before we head into the ground, that’s probably the only bit of time we are going to get in his presence,” said Chin. “Maybe he’ll meet us on the bus or maybe at the pre-match meal, I don’t know, maybe something like that. Bar that, it is just going to be down to ourselves in the dressing room,” said the Faythe Harriers man.
The Wexford vice-captain went on to claim that Fitzgerald watches the recordings of the Wexford training sessions after each session and that there is constant communication between the manager and his selectors, who then feed Fitzgerald’s views to the players.
“He is feeding stuff through and they are feeding stuff back to him after training. We would obviously have all our training sessions filmed every night too so he is getting feedback there too, seeing himself what is going on.”
Conal Keaney doesn’t believe that Fitzgerald is obeying his ban, to the extent claimed by Chin.
“That’s an absolute load of rubbish,” said the Dublin man.
“That’s the line he’s saying because he doesn’t want any more attention attracted to them coming into Championship. If he said that Davy was at training, wouldn’t everyone be saying ‘sure isn’t he supposed to be suspended?” asked Keaney.
Damien Hayes doesn’t believe this either.
“For me, personally, to believe that Davy Fitzgerald isn’t down at training in Wexford getting his lads ready for the Laois game…I’d find that very hard to believe. I have to say, they must think we’re some eejits to think that. Definitely, Davy Fitzgerald is at the training sessions and he’s getting them boys ready for the Championship…I know and I think ye do as well lads, that Davy Fitzgerald is at training unless there’s someone high up in the GAA at every one of Wexford’s training sessions to make sure he’s not there, which I doubt there is.”
The GAA Hour Hurling Show host Colm Parkinson outlined the loopholes present in the ban, and claimed that it’s unlikely Fitzgerald has detached himself from the Wexford set-up to the extent claimed by Chin.
“What’s stopping Davy from organising a Sunday morning training session in a pitch that they never train on, and being present at that one?,” asked the Laois man.
“So I would be on your line of thinking that this is a complete sham,” said Parkinson.
The host went on to claim that if Fitzgerald was obeying the ban to the letter, it would be a huge disadvantage to the Yellow Bellies. The Laois man also claimed that the GAA should be enforcing bans on players and managers in a stricter fashion than they currently are.
“Let’s be honest, a suspension like that should be a disadvantage… If you’re to follow the suspension through, it should be that big of a disadvantage that you don’t have your manager. If it’s a player, players that are suspended aren’t actually meant to be showing up to training by the letter of the law.”
You can listen to the lads debate Fitzgerald’s suspension here from 1’00”.
