Wexford to be without Jonathan Bealin for the upcoming season

The Wexford footballers will be without one of their go-to forwards Jonathan Bealin for the upcoming season as he moves to Belgium for a work opportunity.

Wexford start their league campaign on May 22nd against Waterford at Wexford Park before taking on Carlow the following weekend. Then they’ll begin their Leinster championship against Wicklow, and the winner of that provincial opener will be hosted by reigning champions Dublin in the quarter-final at Croke Park.

Bealin, who made his championship debut against Louth in 2019 scoring 0-7, has informed Wexford manager Shane Roche that he wouldn't be joining the squad this month as he prepares for his move.

Bealin told The Irish Times the squad had worked extremely hard individually over the past few months on their physical conditioning, which made his decision even harder to make. Although the opportunity to spend a year working abroad was an opportunity he couldn't turn down when it became available earlier this month.

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The 28 year-old who works with biopharmaceutical company, Bristol-Myers Squibb will travel with his partner Michelle.

Wexford are aiming to get out of the bottom tier of the league at the third time of asking this year, and to win a first Leinster championship match since 2014.

Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak last year they were one point off the top two places in Division Four, with Bealin scoring 1-7 in their five matches. But a defeat on the final day to Wicklow seen the Garden County secure promotion at their expense.

In 2019 Bealin was the top scorer in the division – in his first intercounty league campaign – and only three players across all the divisions outscored him. All having played a game more.

The former DCU Sigerson Cup winner scored two points from centre forward in Castletown’s county final defeat last October, his last game of football before heading for Belgium. Twelve months earlier he scored 1-6 to win his second county medal.

The son of former Dublin All-Ireland winner Paul, Bealin captained the Parnells club in the Dublin senior championship before transferring to Wexford ahead of the 2019 season.