'Quality footballer' Eoghan O'Gara set for Wexford Championship debut

On Sunday afternoon, the Wexford Senior Football Championship could be graced by a seven-time All-Ireland winner as former Dublin attacker Eoghan O'Gara is in line to feature for Shelmaliers against Sarsfields.

No doubt an extra few bodies will be present in Chadwicks Wexford Park to watch the bustling forward feature for the champions in the main event of a championship double-header that also features Crossabeg-Ballymurn and Starlights.

O’Gara’s last championship debut came 12 years ago and fittingly was against the Model County, as he came off the bench to spark Dublin into life. They eventually won out after extra-time in Leinster quarter-final. He made a massive contribution from that game right up until his November 2019 retirement.

So how does a man who won the biggest prize in football, and won it many times over, get motivated to play in a different county with a different club just a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday? For Shelmaliers manager John McCarthy, that’s an easy question to answer.

"He’s the most decorated footballer to ever play championship in Wexford but at the same time he hasn’t won county titles ever, so there definitely is something for him to aspire to."

Shelmaliers’ favouritism in Wexford was strong before O’Gara’s transfer given their exploits last year.

They came agonisingly close to becoming the first Wexford side to reach a provincial club final in football as they led Naas deep into additional time in their Leinster semi-final.

Eamon Callaghan converted a free though and the Kildare side would go on to win in extra-time.

That’s not to say that O’Gara smelled an opportunity of glory and left his home club Templeogue Synge Street because of that – he has been based in the Model County for a long