Wexford’s senior football squad is now without another long-standing servant, as Daithí Waters of St. Martin’s has called time on his inter-county career.
So ends more than a decade in the Purple and Gold, as Waters made his league debut back in 2009, followed by his first appearance in the championship a year later.
He was part of the Wexford team that almost toppled Dublin in the Leinster Senior Football decider of 2011. While he soldiered through some leaner years after that, he was also instrumental in Wexford’s return to winning ways in the championship when they defeated Wicklow in a first round tie last year, with manager Shane Roche making special mention afterwards of an inspirational team talk that Waters gave during the second water break there.
That win put Wexford through to play Dublin in the quarter-final in Chadwick’s Wexford Park, where Waters and Wexford did themselves proud by giving the Dubs a much closer game than many other sides had managed to do in the years immediately leading up to it.
Overall, Waters played more than 100 times for Wexford in league and championship combined, with his membership of “the centurion club” being fitting testament to how well he served the county for so long.
Daithí is also a talented hurler and had a spell in the county senior hurling squad under former manager Liam Dunne in 2015. At club level, he tasted success in both codes – captaining St. Martin’s to their first-ever county senior football title in 2013, and following up with senior hurling success in both 2017 and 2019.
Cathaoirleach of CLG Loch Garman, Michéal Martin, is among those who have paid tribute to him for his service to Wexford.
“Daithí was one of our most consistent and dependable players throughout his inter-county career, and to play more than 100 times for your county shows both great dedication and great talent,” he said. “On behalf of all in Wexford GAA, I thank him sincerely for his service, and wish him all the best for the future.”
