National Hurling League Quarter Finals

1

This is great news from a Wexford perspective (shame for our footballers who need the support at home to Meath though :’() but the fear was these games would be played in Limerick just to facilitate Galway, who have a pitiful hurling support. It would have been totally unfair to inconvenience the other 3 teams and so I’m delighted that it’s across the Barrow in Kilkenny. Nobody beats us in Kilkenny (except Kilkenny every time we play them there :o).

From gaa.ie:

Allianz Hurling League Quarter Finals

The GAA have confirmed the times and venues for the Allianz Hurling league quarter finals this weekend.

Saturday, April 7th

Division Two Quarter-Final
Pairc na nGael, Limerick 2.00: Laois V Kerry

Sunday, April 8th

Division One -Quarter-Finals
Nowlan Park 2.00: Wexford v Galway
Nowlan Park 3.40: Waterford v Tipperary

Division 2 -Quarter-Final
Clones 3.40: Derry v Kildare

Division 3 - Quarter-Finals
Clones 2.00: Louth v Tyrone
Markievicz Park 3.30: Donegal V Longford

2

Sunday, April 8th

Division One -Quarter-Finals
Nowlan Park 2.00: Wexford v Galway
Nowlan Park 3.40: Waterford v Tipperary

That’s a cracking double header.

3

excellent decision by the suits to fix it as a double header. value for money if nothing else. it is however very unfortunate that the games will clash with the wexford footballers bid to clinch a semi-final spot.

4

These are the things that happen when you’re a successsful dual county though. Rather be firing on both fronts and missing the odd game in one of the codes than being from Leitrim or somewhere where they’re rubbish at both games.

5

true enough. cant argue with that!! hi5

6

Rory McCarthy’s away on holiday and will miss the game! Talk about having faith that the side would qualify! Eoin Quigley and Stephen Banville will definitely be back after hamstring strains but Paul Carley is touch and go.

We’re getting a bit of depth to the squad now but we could still do with another forward ot two in order to compete at the very highest level. If you look at last Sunday’s team you could say there was 3 ‘backs’ playing in the positions from 8-15.

Gizzy Lyng and Kevin Kavanagh in midfield are both regular wing backs and Kavanagh even did a good job on Cathal Naughton down in Cork at corner back. Darren Stamp has played everywhere for us but I think the half back line is his natural home. Then along with the six backs that started there’s also Doc O’Connor, Richie Kehoe and John O’Connor so we have plenty of defensive cover.

Up front is where we’re a little light perhaps. Anyone know what the latest with Des Mythen is? We have Stephen Doyle to come back from his shoulder/collar bone injury of course too so these bhoys would be additions.

7

Shocking attempt at a slag

8

Please explain to me how you gauge success Bandage and how you think the Wexford footballers are successful? If you consider Wexford a successful football county then Leitrim are up there if not ahead of ye. What exactly have ye done in football to regard yourselves as successful? League final hammering to Armagh a few years ago? Tommy Murphy cup? Non appearances in Leinster finals? When was the last time ye won a major trophy? Leitrim won Connacht in 94 so Id consider them more successful than Wexford.

9

I really thought farmer would take the bait but he wriggled free and left you to wade in and get caught!!!

10

You should run for the Dail next Month, that’s a politicans answer if I ever heard one.

11

On a serious note when you look at the recent national finals in football you’ll see that Wexford are a super power of gaelic football. Kerry have been in the last 2 AI finals. Mayo and Tyrone have been in one apiece. As regards the last 2 league finals the 4 teams that took part were Kerry again, Galway, Armagh and Wexford. If I had to rate the counties at the moment I’d probably go:

  1. Kerry,
  2. Tyrone,
  3. Wexford,
  4. Armagh,
  5. Mayo,
  6. Galway.
12

Wexford announce the team that will successfully overcome the challenge of Galway tomorrow:

Fitzhenry (Duffry Rovers);
Travers (Ballyboden St Enda’s); Ruth (Rapparees); Roche (Oulart-The Ballagh);
Doran (Buffer’s Alley); Rossiter (Oulart-The Ballagh); Kenny (Buffer’s Alley);
Kavanagh (St Patrick’s Ballyoughter); Lyng (St Martin’s);
M Jacob (Oulart-The Ballagh); Doyle (Glynn Barntown); Quigley (St Martin’s);
Carley (Glynn Barntown); Stamp (Oulart-The Ballagh); R Jacob (Oulart-The Ballagh);

Two changes - Eoin Quigley back from injury to replace Rory McCarthy, who’s in Augusta, and Paul Carley back from his hamstring injury for Barry Lambert.

TG4 are showing the 2nd game in KK live with full deferred coverage of the Wexford-Galway game being shown at 5pm. As a result I have made the bold decision to attend our footballers game in Wexford Park at 3.30pm and will then leg it back to my gaff for the hurling.

13

Super first half of hurling in Kilkenny. Wexford/Galway tied at 9 points each. Both teams have had periods of dominance and there’s been some excellent scores from play. Keith Rossiter is giving an exhibition at centre back for us and young Stephen Nolan, who came in as a late replacement, is hurling wonderfully at wing forward. The effort, application and commitment is all there. It’s amazing what a competent manager and a united camp can achieve. Need to keep it up now though. Ready to leg it out the door over to Wexford Park the second it ends.

14

Outstanding stuff by us. Immense.

15

Stirring stuff by Wexford today. Delighted that TG4 changed their schedule and showed both games live and whoever was there today certainly got their money’s worth as the Tipp-Waterford game was apparently a belter too.

It was fooking fantastic to watch us play with the renowned Wexford heart and passion but allied with that was smart hurling, great option taking, imagination, fluency and superb teamwork.

While every single player played their part a special mention must go to Keith Rossiter who was simply sublime at centre back. It was like watching a young Liam Dunne, he was that good. Stephen Nolan came into the side as a late replacement for Michael Doyle, with Eoin Quigley switching to centre forward, and shot 3 points from play from wing forward. Damien Fitzhenry made two excellent saves when called upon too and Gizzy Lyng fired over a couple of wonderful points from midfield.

What really pleased me was the forwards getting stuck in and not allowing Galway out with easy ball. They were hunting in packs up there, hooking, blocking and generally being a nuisance but the effort and application was spot on all around the park. Skippy Ruth had a great battle with Cloonan and eventually came out on top. The two corner backs, Travers in particular, were excellent. Ciaran Kenny had his best game in a Wexford jersey on Alan Kerins and Willie Doran shot over a point at the end that capped off his performance.

Kevin Kavanagh and Gizzy Lyng won the midfield battle and Michael Jacob got a couple of nice points from the wing. John Lee got the better of Eoin Quigley but Quigley got the crucial goal when he moved into full forward. Rory Jacob got a belter of a point at a critical time in the 2nd half to go with the one he got in the first and Paul Carley toiled manfully in the corner. Darren Stamp was a good focal point for the attack and got a smashing point late on when he had moved out the field. Substitutes Barry Lambert and Mitch Jordan also got on the scoresheet showing the importance of the squad game.

Doc O’Connor also announced his presence when arriving on as auxillary full forward late on by getting involved in a stremash with the Galway full back and goalkeeper that resulted in all 3 getting yellow cards. For me it soured what was a great day to be a Wexford man.

We just need to keep this up now. While the results and performances of late have been excellent we can’t afford to get ahead of ourselves. We need to keep working hard and continue on in this manner against Kilkenny next week. As I mentioned last week there is nobody who beats us in Kilkenny. We’ve taken out Waterford and Offaly (twice) in the championship in recent years there and that’s where we play Dublin on 9th June (thefreekick.com’s inaugural weekend away).

Also a mention to our camogie girls who beat Tipp to qualify for the League Final today with two injury time points to win by one point.

An all round cracking day for Wexford.

We’ve got Wexford blood. Our blood won’t let us down. Le cro agus lmh.

16

I take it, by your lack of a meaningful response, that you agree that Leitrim are a more successful footballing county than Wexford?

17

With all due respect it doesn’t warrant a response of any nature. There’s probably only 3 people in the world who consider Leitrim a more successful footballing county than Wexford - yourself, Stevie Wonder and the cop from Blind Justice.

18

Doesn’t warrant a response

What a cop out! Typical technique of Bandage’s - laugh off the statement by throwing out funny lines but not addressing the issue that in the last twenty years Leitrim have been more successful than Wexford in GAA football

19

Come on now. Seriously.

20

I’m deadly serious

What have you got?