Promotion with a game to spare. Fair play to management and players.
Very good first half display today but terribly wasteful wth the gale in the second half. They were still hanging around at 1-14 to 0-15 as we entered injury time but we knocked over 3 late points to seal it.
While it was closer than it should have been, they didnāt create a goal chance in the game. Iām not counting the penalty as I donāt know what it was for. A line ball was floated in and over everyone but McAllister pinned Breen for something.
Shaun Murphy was our best player by a street. He was a magnet for the ball as a spare defender and was on it throughout the game and used possession very well.
If I was to nitpick:
Even with the āsweeperā, I think our lack of height between both corner backs and both wing backs which started today could be exposed by better teams. I think we need Shore back in there;
McDonald missed three frees. He has a horribly unreliable side swipe freetaking style and we havenāt had a metronomic free taker in a good while. @Big_Dan_Campbell, Iād like you to look at his grip and striking style for me;
A bit disappointing to see some of the shot selection and attempts at this stage. Playing with a swirly gale very much in our favour and it needed shots to be struck with conviction rather than fucking floated tentatively up in the sky;
Aidan Nolan did well when he came on and OāKeeffe got two good points from wing back in the second half. Iām not sure about our midfield combination. The young Martinās lads are game workhorses but they need to improve their striking, awareness and decision making.
We should have been clinical with a couple of goal chances. David Dunne sped away late on and messed up a three on one. Gave the dummy hand pass off the hurl and then fumbled the ball. A bit like Thurles last year against Cork but he won a late pointed free and then got another hard earned score himself;
I know Harry Kehoe played Fitzgibbon Cup in the full forward line but not sure a two man full forward line of him and McDonald has enough pace. We have the likes of Dunne as an option here. Guiney was fairly rusty when he came on.
Thatās about it. Fanning was very assured again and it was an excellent penalty save.
If Laois defeat Wexford and Kerry lose to or draw with Offaly, then Laois will progress to the quarter-final, where they will most likely meet Tipperary.
While Iād like to see us avoid a relegation final, and bearing in mind, we have as much chance of beating Wexford, as tinkerbell has of getting the ride, the thoughts of Laois facing Tipperary is truly horrific.
I was chatting to a woman at a wedding last Saturday whose make up was done that morning by Lee Chinās sister. Danielle told this woman who then told me that Lee holds Davy Fitzgerald in very high esteem. He said heās proud and privileged to play under him and that his man management, training, professionalism and attention to detail is outstanding. He said itās a joy to be involved in a Wexford squad under the guidance of Davy. Iām delighted to be able to publicly express these private thoughts.
I was chatting to my auld lad at the weekend at the aforementioned wedding and he was telling me that he was chatting to a man who knows the owner of the company who provides the food/meals to the Wexford senior teams after training. He was telling my auld lad who then told me that Davyās preferred soup is a basic chicken soup.
