Dwyer still hungry for National League success with Wexford

As the 2026 Women’s League of Ireland Premier Division season gets underway this weekend, a familiar face is returning to Wexford for another season. Lauren Dwyer has been at the club since she was 14 and the Tinryland native was confirmed to have returned to the club back in December, in fact she was the first player to have been confirmed for the new season.

Dwyer returned to Wexford last season after a tough few years, eager to prove her doubters wrong. She had struggled with injury for two years and when she finally got herself right, she was told she was surplus to requirements at the club she’d spent so many years at. So she felt like she had a lot to prove by going back. With her close friend and teammate of several years, Kylie Murphy having retired at the end of last season, nobody would have blamed Lauren for not returning to the club, especially with several others having left the club, including the management team. However she said that a phone call from new manager, Dave Connell convinced her to sign.

“I knew Kylie wasn’t coming back and there was a good few changes. We got a new management team in and I had worked with Dave before with the Ireland under 17s and 19s so when he made a phone call to me I think before I was even off the phone call I was signed back. He’s a good manager and he’s probably one of the best managers I have kind of been under throughout the few years that I have been playing,” Dwyer explained.

It’s going to be very different at Wexford this season with several players having left and a new management team. However, Dwyer says that they’ve gelled well and have looked good in pre-season so far.

“I suppose when you’ve played somewhere for nearly 10 years, there is going to be a stage where you get new players and have to rebuild — players can’t play forever. So it feels like a brand new team at times. But we’ve all gelled really well and it’s exciting, the players that we have brought in and the players that are still there,” said Dwyer.

“It definitely took a while to adapt to and I think everyone felt the same because you had so many players either retiring or moving to different clubs. But so far it’s going really well and we’re all enjoying it. We’ve the South East Derby on Saturday, so it’s something to look forward to.”

She says the ambition as always is to win trophies, with the league the biggest priority for the club.

“Any Wexford team, whether it’s a new group or one that’s been together for years, our goal is to win trophies at the end of the season. But you never know how things will go or how the team will gel. It’s a long season and every team is pushing standards up, so it’s hard to tell.

“It’s basically a brand new team. We’re missing eight or nine of our starters from last year, so that’s a big chunk of the side gone. But like last year, we weren’t really happy with how things went. We finished fourth but probably could have done better in certain games. Our aim is to push into the top three and hopefully still be in with a shout at the end of the season.” Dwyer will be taking on a new role this season as one of the senior players in the side, being one of the only players left from the very first Wexford team back in 2011, something Dwyer says is very strange.

“There’s probably only a few of us left from the beginning — myself, Rossi and Becky. Becky went abroad for a few years, but it’s definitely different now. We have a strong group though and there are a lot of leaders within the team. We all rally around each other and push each other on, and the current group is great,” Lauren explained.

“It is a little strange because I think I’m the second oldest on the team now. I started with Wexford when I was about 14. I went to Raheny United for a year and a half, but I’ve been here for nearly 12 or 13 years, which is a big chunk of your life,” she added.

Lauren’s career has been synonymous with injury, she’s found it difficult to stay injury free throughout her career, but the 29 year old is hoping that this will finally be the season that she can stay fit throughout.

“I’d like to think this might finally be the season I stay injury-free, but it’s a long campaign and I’m not getting any younger.

“In fairness, the lads and the physio team have been really good at managing my load because I can’t train the same way a 15- or 16-year-old can, especially with my injury history. If I have to step out of something, they’ll pull me straight away,” Lauren explained.

“But so far, touch wood, it’s probably one of the first pre-seasons where everything has gone to plan and I’ve been able to train consistently, so that’s a start.”

The legend that is Kylie Murphy retired at the end of last season, and for Lauren in particular, it hits harder because they were always close having started at Wexford together. Last year, Lauren told The Nationalist a story of how Kylie picked her up for their first training session at the club. She admits it’s been strange without Kylie.

““It has been difficult when someone has been such a big part of your life and a big part of why you stayed at Wexford. It’s a massive void,” Dwyer explained.

“But the girls have been so good and very welcoming, even though I’ve been there for years. At times it does feel like you’re missing your left or right arm when the people you were so close with are gone.

“No one will ever fill Kylie’s shoes for what she’s done for the club and as a person. She’s phenomenal,” she admits.

“Thankfully she lives in Carlow, so I’ve still been keeping in touch with her and seeing her, Essamay and their little girl, TJ. You really do make friends for life in football and that can be just as special as what you achieve on the pitch.”