For Wexford on Saturday it was a case of I Fought the Law and the Law Won. Unsurprisingly given the Garda training college's location in Templemore, Tipperary have quite a connection with the force.

Current Tipperary selector Ken Hogan, an All-Ireland winner in 1989 and 1991, joined up in 1983 when the training period was just six months. During the height of his inter-county career, he was stationed in Pearse Street station in Dublin before moving back to serve as a PE and swimming instructor at the training college in 1989.

Centre back David Kennedy joined up last year after giving a couple of years as a national school teacher in Dublin. Now in the second phase of his training, he is currently based at Store Street station in Dublin.

Another panellist, Conor Gleeson, who captained the Tipperary side when they lost the All-Ireland in 1997, is a garda since 1995. Based at Hardcourt Sreet for the first few years of his career, Gleeson is back at Templemore since April where he is working alongside Hogan as part of the PE instructor team. In interviews this season, he believes the return to base has been instrumental in the recapturing of his form, particularly in the latter stages of the league.

Hogan believes the life of a garda is difficult to square with the demands of an inter-county hurler.

"Certainly during my time in Pearse street between 1983 and 1989, I found the travelling up and down to be very difficult, what with the shift work as well. Getting back to Templemore obviously made things easier, with more regular hours and being close to home for training."

Tipperary are not the only county with garda among their ranks. Kilkenny and Graigue-Ballycallan forward Eddie Brennan is based in Tallaght. Denis Byrne, introduced with Brennan during yesterday's game against Galway, also served for the boys in blue but has left left the force in recent years to return to the family construction business. Niall Maloney, a Kilkenny panellist up to a couple of years ago, and Waterford's Peter Queally are also serving garda. Limerick's Brian Begley is currently undertaking phase two training alongside David Kennedy.

Since the Garda College qualified for the Fitzgibbon Cup in 1996 their sides have featured numerous inter-county players, Clare's Ollie Baker playing his part in a couple of finals tournaments.

The team was also captained by Seamus MacIntyre in 1998 (an outstanding hurler, says Ken Hogan), the young Kerry garda who died with a colleague in a car crash earlier this year.

Other notable GAA figures work alongside Hogan and Gleeson as part of the instruction team in Templemore. Former Offaly hurler and Wexford manager Joachim Kelly has been based at the training college for some years while Laois manager Colm Browne, who also had a stint with Tipperary, works in research at the college.

Wexford's hurlers may have no representatives, but footballer Jason Lalor, previously on the hurling panel is in the force.