Dunford and Fagan miss out as Dessie named captain
Dessie Hutchinson has been named as Waterford captain for 2025.
New Waterford hurling manager Peter Queally will have to plan without Jack Fagan and Colin Dunford for 2025 due to travel commitments.
Fagan was an All Star nominee in 2020. He starred in Waterford's All Ireland semi-final win over Kilkenny that November. Dunford has been part of the Déise senior panel for the past eleven seasons. The Colligan speedster got an All Star nomination in 2015.
“Unfortunately, we’ve suffered with the travel bug," Queally confirmed. "Colin Dunford has decided to go travelling this year, he’s heading off in January. Jack Fagan is going in February. Two big losses to us.” Queally is hopeful that 2024 All Star nominee Calum Lyons will return to the fold. "We’re in negotiations with one or two more fellas trying to see how they’re fixed. Calum Lyons is still in Australia, he is still undecided as regards whether he’s staying there or coming back. We’re hopeful that at some stage in the New Year Calum will be back with us too.”
The Ballydurn man has added new faces to the Déise squad ahead of the official return to inter county training on December 7. "We’ve freshened up the panel. We’ve about ten new guys that we’re looking at, at the moment. They’re in doing a bit of pre-season work so that when we get back on the seventh, they’ll be able to hit the ground running and lay down a marker. I’m hoping some of them will come up trumps. It’s well documented at this stage that Austin Gleeson is back doing a bit of training. Hopefully his fitness will come up and he will have something to offer."
All Star full back Conor Prunty will be marked absent until mid-February after undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury two months ago.
Dessie Hutchinson has been named as the new Déise captain for 2025. The Ballygunner attacker has found the net thirteen times for Waterford since Liam Cahill brought him on board in 2020. He has received three All Star nominations (2020, 2021 and 2022). Lismore defender Iarlaith Daly will serve as vice-captain.
