Ageing prince awaits a new purple reign

Some reference points are indelible. For the hurlers of Wexford, 1996 represents both a vivid folk tale and a fleeting sense of immortality, of arriving at a point in life that was some distance beyond the horizon of realistic expectation.

"I think that time was about a lack of fear, of taking on challenges. Liam Griffin had that mindset instilled in us and, whatever the game, we were up for it," says Larry O'Gorman now. The names from that summer have gradually begun to fall away but O'Gorman, at 31, remains a stubborn survivor. He spent much of the first half of last year gently harassing Dr Pat O'Neill in order to gain early corrective surgery to a chipped bone in his foot that was persistent enough to inflict mental torture.

Lone swimming sessions, early-morning weights and sit-ups kept him focused, all for the half-hope that he might be ready for Wexford's championship game against Offaly.

That he made it back to the squad was a mixed blessing; he was on the verge of hurling again but did not feature in the plans of the management. He sat in the cool of the dug-out and watched impassively as his county suffered a defeat that he describes as "embarrassing".

So when he turns his thoughts to the All-Ireland win of 1996 and tries to reconcile it with Wexford's current place in the bigger picture, it is the small things that stand out.

"It just began to turn away from us. Winning that year was such an unbelievable sensation and taking the Leinster title again in 1997 was a very special thing also. We played Tipperary then in the (All-Ireland) semi-final, that was a tough draw and we didn't come through that.

"I think it's fair to say we were unlucky to be beaten by Offaly a year later and after that, there was a feeling that a bit of a dark cloud had fallen over Wexford hurling. It was no one thing, just a sense among the players and management that things weren't quite right and that we had slipped a bit."

From afar, it seemed as if Wexford hurling was in crisis. While Joachim Kelly's tenure will not be remembered for any mesmerising on-field moments, there was a sense that he was taking on an all-but-impossible job. His appointment was declared only after months of searching for a successor to Rory Kinsella, and after the public airing of comments made at a county meeting that Kelly had been well down the order of preference. It was a thankless job.

"Appointing a new manager was the task of the county board, but the amount of time it took did have an effect. All the players were sitting at home and every week, new names were mentioned both in the papers and in pubs and you'd be wondering what was going on," says O'Gorman.

Combined with that was the worry that lethargy was slowing the momentum. While O'Gorman struggled on a personal level to re-assert himself as a first-choice player, he wondered if there was enough collective care to turn things around again.

"There were times when you'd find yourself asking: `Is that it? Was 1996 enough for Wexford? Are we sated now after a few glory days? Will there be another bunch along in 10 years or is this it for God knows how long?' We had stepped back a bit on training, reasoning we had been on the road for a long time, but when you look into yourself, you have to wonder if you want it bad enough. And I think there was an element of that in last summer's performance."

O'Gorman's rhetoric is peppered with references to Griffin, who remains a talisman for all connected with Wexford hurling. Even when the outlook appeared extremely gloomy for the game within the county, Griffin insisted it was not beyond repair. Right now, O'Gorman feels that is the case and believes that tomorrow's Walsh Cup game against Laois constitutes a new beginning.

"I feel the situation is very similar to 1995. At training the other night, (present manager) Tony Dempsey sat us down and told us that things start for real against Laois.

"We have four good months of training behind us in terms of weights and a bit of light outdoor hurling under lights. Sometimes training is nothing short of dreary, but we have got the balance right and people are buzzing. For the past few seasons, it was like there was a squad of 13 with a few lads coming in. Now, it is a squad of 40. We are starting over. Tony has made that clear."

He still regards himself as being on a road to personal rehabilitation. The time away took its toll. Sometimes on his lunch break he hits a ball against the wall and most Saturday afternoons will find him beating a ball around a handball alley. A Griffin tip. He happily admits that he is addicted to the sport; his passion has not dimmed. "There were times when I wondered if it was worth it but, as Liam Griffin said, at least I'd have the chance of getting back into it again. That was enough for me. Now, I don't really mind if I'm not starting tomorrow or even in a few of the National League games, because I know I have a bit to go yet before I am back to full sharpness."

He has an ambivalent attitude towards the current rigours of training.

He says Clare and Wexford upped the ante on fitness in the 1990s and traditional counties like Kilkenny and Cork have since taken it further.

"Now we have to respond. You wonder where it's going to end."

He is certain hurling needs counties like Wexford to stay competitive and sometimes frets for the future of the game in the local parishes.

"While developing the current senior framework is important, it is absolutely vital that we get an underage programme going or it will die. We have to treat the minors as we would a senior team. All the counties that thrive have a great underage programme.

"If we can keep the youngsters interested, then we have a bright future."

He knows that a good run for the seniors over the next eight months would do a lot to reawaken passions in the southeast. It's not so long since it seemed like every second person in Wexford was wearing the team jersey. "To put a smile back on people's faces again, that's as much of it as anything," he says. "This game against Laois will tell us a lot about ourselves. It's not even about winning or losing. I'll see it in the body language. The signs will be there."