If Wexford curtail Dotsie O callaghan, Dublin will struggle to get scores from play as most of the other forwards are more industrious than skillful.The two Croabh lads O’reilly and Maccrabbe are big losses especially ‘the Crabber’ as a scoring forward.I have a bad feeling Dublin have been hyped for a big fall.Think this game has come too soon for this particular Dublin team.
jast saw wexford team.they’ve managed to do the near impossible, replace their old centre back skippy ruth with an even slower lad the doc…all bets are off!!
Would it be worth putting a bet on Dublin the weekend?
I’d probably like a little bigger than 7/5 about them.
Apparently Doc bought a greyhound and has been doing speed and sprint work with him 4 nights a week up in Enniscorthy track since late February. One of the lads was telling me that Doc fulfils the role of the hare (except he gets 2/3 of a lap head-start) and there’s been a noticebale improvement in his pace ever since. I think we’ll be alright on that score as a result.
I love watching Wexford play hurling and I was very relieved to escape with a draw this evening but, to use a marathon wheeling/running analogy, the game was more Tanni Grey Thompson than Haile Gebrselassie standard. Wexford’s failure to score a single point until the 36th minute and Dublin’s 19 wides emphasise this.
But despite all that it was an eventful and exciting second half and we showed admirable desire and determination after the break. We’re clearly not worldbeaters but there’s no excuse for being as lethargic as we were in the first half.
Other teams around the circuit with more experience and composure would have buried us by half time and even in the second half Dublin visibly shat themselves collectively - I saw a huge pool of brown poo down by the town end goal - and I thought we’d go on and beat them with about ten minutes to go.
I mentioned weeks ago way back on this thread how I was concerned that, after two league campaigns and a full championship season last summer, John Meyler had failed to establish anything resembling a settled team and a pattern, method and style of play.
And then today it was announced just before throw-in that Brendan O’Leary was replacing MJ Furlong (presumably a late injury withdrawal?) and I assumed O’Leary would go into his natural home in the full back line, Travers would move to the half back line, with Stamp joining Colm Farrell in midfield.
Instead O’Leary slotted into midfield and I doubt these two lads have ever even trained together as a partnership, never mind played in a high intensity championship game. It was no surprise that we struggled terribly in midfield as a result and that had a domino effect into our defence, especially in the first half.
I know I’ve criticised management repeatedly in the past but I was thoroughly amazed we didn’t make any first half substitutions. We didn’t merely have 2 or 3 players performing under par - it was approaching double figures, or possibly even above it, and their response was to instruct the corner backs to switch sides before belatedly addressing the midfield struggles by getting PJ Nolan in there and releasing Farrell to wing forward.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse half of hurling from a Wexford team than our lads in the first half today. We were abysmal in all facets of the game from first touch, striking, marking, ball winning, tackling and so on. We were flat, one-paced, standing off them and displaying no conviction in challenges. Other than that we were grand.
But, as I say, on reflection it’s hardly a surprise that we didn’t hurl with assurance and fluency given our team has changed so dramatically since the league ended. When we should have been well prepared and primed to deliver, we were instead like the First Year UCD Arts student who strolls into the summer exams having spent months on the piss and who’s never been to a single lecture.
The changes had a positive impact but it’s like we’re guessing as we’re going along rather than having a pre-defined and well-oiled plan. Stephen Doyle simply has to start the replay as he added real spark, movement, direct running and point scoring ability to the forward line. In addition, David Redmond, a player I always rated as a busy forager and worker out the field, was much better when moved out to midfield and freed from the shackles of operating in the corner.
Unfortunately, Stephen Nolan’s definitely going to be missing for a while as it’s now been confirmed that he has a dislocated thumb and the absence of him, along with Barry Lambert, has exposed a lack of squad depth in my opinion.
If we play two of Redmond, Lyng and PJ Nolan in midfield next Sunday then Stephen Doyle can come into one of the attacking positions but who else is a viable inclusion upfront? I suppose we also have the option of moving Darren Stamp into midfield and bringing Willie Doran into the half back line.
But looking at the positives, Fitzhenry was solid as usual, the defence stepped up in the second half (with the exception of negating the influence of O’Callaghan, who was superb for them) and the half back line were very forceful towards the end, we got a foothold in midfield late on when Redmond and Nolan were paired up, Eoin Quigley’s workrate was exceptional, so was the size of Stephen Banville’s arse and he was a real focal point and linked up well with Rory Jacob, who knocked over some good points.
I’m pretty confident ahead of the replay and it’s mainly reflective of the fact that Dublin couldn’t beat us despite Wexford only stumbling across a half-decent team formation in the second half. We need to get midfield sorted, start Stephen Doyle and hurl with purpose, passion and intensity for the full 70 minutes and we should be able to beat them next week.
Their defence looked decidedly dodgy and with more supply from a better functioning midfield we should be able to punish them. But it’s by no means a given that they’ll roll over just because they let a lead slip today and we need to display the type of urgency from the first whistle that young lads do in Copper’s when they realise it’s after 2am and they haven’t yet bagged a fatty.
Prediction: Wexford by 4.
[quote=“Bandage”]I love watching Wexford play hurling and I was very relieved to escape with a draw this evening but, to use a marathon wheeling/running analogy, the game was more Tanni Grey Thompson than Haile Gebrselassie standard. Wexford’s failure to score a single point until the 36th minute and Dublin’s 19 wides emphasise this.
But despite all that it was an eventful and exciting second half and we showed admirable desire and determination after the break. We’re clearly not worldbeaters but there’s no excuse for being as lethargic as we were in the first half.
Other teams around the circuit with more experience and composure would have buried us by half time and even in the second half Dublin visibly shat themselves collectively - I saw a huge pool of brown poo down by the town end goal - and I thought we’d go on and beat them with about ten minutes to go.
I mentioned weeks ago way back on this thread how I was concerned that, after two league campaigns and a full championship season last summer, John Meyler had failed to establish anything resembling a settled team and a pattern, method and style of play.
And then today it was announced just before throw-in that Brendan O’Leary was replacing MJ Furlong (presumably a late injury withdrawal?) and I assumed O’Leary would go into his natural home in the full back line, Travers would move to the half back line, with Stamp joining Colm Farrell in midfield.
Instead O’Leary slotted into midfield and I doubt these two lads have ever even trained together as a partnership, never mind played in a high intensity championship game. It was no surprise that we struggled terribly in midfield as a result and that had a domino effect into our defence, especially in the first half.
I know I’ve criticised management repeatedly in the past but I was thoroughly amazed we didn’t make any first half substitutions. We didn’t merely have 2 or 3 players performing under par - it was approaching double figures, or possibly even above it, and their response was to instruct the corner backs to switch sides before belatedly addressing the midfield struggles by getting PJ Nolan in there and releasing Farrell to wing forward.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse half of hurling from a Wexford team than our lads in the first half today. We were abysmal in all facets of the game from first touch, striking, marking, ball winning, tackling and so on. We were flat, one-paced, standing off them and displaying no conviction in challenges. Other than that we were grand.
But, as I say, on reflection it’s hardly a surprise that we didn’t hurl with assurance and fluency given our team has changed so dramatically since the league ended. When we should have been well prepared and primed to deliver, we were instead like the First Year UCD Arts student who strolls into the summer exams having spent months on the piss and who’s never been to a single lecture.
The changes had a positive impact but it’s like we’re guessing as we’re going along rather than having a pre-defined and well-oiled plan. Stephen Doyle simply has to start the replay as he added real spark, movement, direct running and point scoring ability to the forward line. In addition, David Redmond, a player I always rated as a busy forager and worker out the field, was much better when moved out to midfield and freed from the shackles of operating in the corner.
Unfortunately, Stephen Nolan’s definitely going to be missing for a while as it’s now been confirmed that he has a dislocated thumb and the absence of him, along with Barry Lambert, has exposed a lack of squad depth in my opinion.
If we play two of Redmond, Lyng and PJ Nolan in midfield next Sunday then Stephen Doyle can come into one of the attacking positions but who else is a viable inclusion upfront? I suppose we also have the option of moving Darren Stamp into midfield and bringing Willie Doran into the half back line.
But looking at the positives, Fitzhenry was solid as usual, the defence stepped up in the second half (with the exception of negating the influence of O’Callaghan, who was superb for them) and the half back line were very forceful towards the end, we got a foothold in midfield late on when Redmond and Nolan were paired up, Eoin Quigley’s workrate was exceptional, so was the size of Stephen Banville’s arse and he was a real focal point and linked up well with Rory Jacob, who knocked over some good points.
I’m pretty confident ahead of the replay and it’s mainly reflective of the fact that Dublin couldn’t beat us despite Wexford only stumbling across a half-decent team formation in the second half. We need to get midfield sorted, start Stephen Doyle and hurl with purpose, passion and intensity for the full 70 minutes and we should be able to beat them next week.
Their defence looked decidedly dodgy and with more supply from a better functioning midfield we should be able to punish them. But it’s by no means a given that they’ll roll over just because they let a lead slip today and we need to display the type of urgency from the first whistle that young lads do in Copper’s when they realise it’s after 2am and they haven’t yet bagged a fatty.
Prediction: Wexford by 4.[/quote]
you should have thrown that last piece up as an article bandage…some very interesting thoughs there…
Yeah throw it up as an article anyway Bandage. we could use some front page content.
Really thought Dublin threw that away yesterday. As I’ve said here before we’re constantly told that this is a Dublin team that’s used to winning due to underage successes so they don’t have a mental block but they proved that to be utterly wrong yesterday.
Dublin had a few bad wides in the first half but nothing like the second half avalanche when the panic set in. Before then they were playing ball into O’Callaghan and he was just superb at knocking over short range shots from any angle. But then the gap got narrower and guys got more insecure and started shooting from miles out or dropping balls into the square. Everything should have been given in low and short to O’Callaghan and O’Carroll - that was clearly what Wexford were struggling with.
Also it was noticeable how little impact Dublin introduced from the bench. Doyle was excellent for Wexford when he came on but all Dublin got were more lads to hit more wides from the middle of the park. Thought Kelly was taken off too early. He wasn’t having much luck with his shooting but he was breaking ball down and at least keeping Rossiter occupied around the square. When he went off we lobbed a load of balls into that area but didn’t get a hand or stick on any of them.
Big ask now for the replay and we’ll see what mettle Dublin do have.
Fitzy was outstanding at Full Back Rolling Eyes have we ever seen so many balls backpassed to a keeper in hurling? Stamp hit one about 40 yards into his hand at one stage. Safe as houses and capable of playing well into his 40’s if he wanted. Had to laugh yesterday when he was getting a bollicking from some of the Dublin fans and one of the lads shouted out “show them your medal Fitzy” - The Kiltealy man is a legend and I hope he doesnt even contemplate retirement.
FB line was ok. Cant understand why Roche was left on when clearly injured. Why not leave him on the ground until Tonks is warmed up. He was left on and Dotsy scored another point off him before he was taken off. Very silly decision.
Half back line was our best line on the park. Mick Jacob was outstanding and after 6 years of criticising him I can honestly say he was brilliant. Maybe 5 is his best position. Maybe his Dad has been giving him some private coaching there?! Stamp was v solid but DOC needs more games at 6.
Midfield was awful. How he could look at O’Leary for 40 odd mins I dont know. One of the lads said he saw MJ on crutches on Thursday. Redmond has to start in the middle the next day.
Forwards were ok, Gizzy, Quigley and the red lad were the best in the second half. Banville did well but he should be taken aside and shown how to hurl. A great paw on him but his striking from the hand isnt great. Lock him in a handball for an afternoon to improve it. PJ was too cowardly at times but did play 1 lovely ball into the corner for Rory.
I think Dublin have had their chance and we will win the replay by 4 or 5 points. We cant play as bad as we did in the first half and as Menapian said, it was the best possible result as I’d hate to be going into facing KK now if Gizzy had scored that free. Gives Meyler a chance to start Stephen Doyle, move Redmond to midfield, give the half back line another game together and allow Banvilles arse to wreak havoc!
One last thing, though the ref wasnt great and missed what looked like a blatant throw of the hurl when Michael Doyle missed a sitter in the second half.
don’t think dublin have lost their chance as Wexford are so bad doing the very basics that they’ll give dublin every chance.Both teams are lacking in key areas.I think the big wide pitch in croker might suit the dubs.a lot of Wexford players seem to seriously lack confidence
How many of this Dublin team have played in front of a big (more than 30,000) crowd in Croke Park out of interest?
Last nights game was like two bald men fighting over a comb (I’ve turned in to Rodney Marsh). This is one of the worst Wexford teams most of us have seen and still Dublin can’t beat us. You could be forgiven for thinking that neither team wanted to get a 20 point hammering from Kilkenny in a Leinster final.
When you consider that Wexford gave such an embarrassing first half performance, its astonishing that the management thought no changes were needed until the 40th minute. It was obvious that they had little faith in their subs (and the rumours that Red Barry was asked to be part of the panel on the morning of the game would prove that) but still it was the introduction of Stephen Doyle that changed the game.
A number of managerial decisions have to be questioned. A clearly injured Paul Roche was left on and cost Wexford a valuable point. David Redmond never struck a ball in the corner but was left in there for 50 mins. When moved to midfield it was like he was let off the leash and you were left wondering why he wasn’t moved there when we struggled so badly in that sector up till then.
It’s hard to be too confident about next week and even if we get a win, there is the realisation that a trouncing is awaiting us a couple of weeks later. Some people are of the opinion that the qualifers might help Wexford more but, for what its worth, it’s best to keep our spot as Leinsters second team and not let Dublin get that monkey off their back.
THE worst display of hurling from a Wexford team I have ever witnessed. It must be 60 or so years ago that any team has only raised a single white flag in 35 minutes of hurling. I dont know how it was possible either because their full back line was there for the taking. Banville is a big awkward fella but by god he cannot hit a ball or even make space for himself to hit a ball. He should be skyakin lads out of his way and tapping balls over or else catching it and laying the ball off to an onrushing forward.
I don’t know how they looked at O’leary for so long in the midfield-didn’t touch the ball. Started well in the 2nd half alright although he miscontrolled which led to a Dub score. Unfair on the lad as I’ve only ever seen him play in the backs. Farrell was no better-we were whitewashed in the midfield.
We did well in the 2nd half in fairness to pull it together. Stamp played well as did MJacob on the other wing.
Redmond cleaned up when moved to the midfield, PJ was far too cowardly and lazy at times but wasn’t brutal. Dublin players were diving in on balls and tearing into melees, unfortunately our lads weren’t. I’m confident enough about the next day as surely to god we can’t be that bad again. Not overly impressed by Dublin (and their 3 outsiders on the team) but they are showing signs of stepping up to the plate.
But 2-1 in 35 mins of hurling? I’ve seen U12 camogie getting more than that.
Also thought Tonks was excellent when introduced.
If Nolan is fit for the next day-I’d have a stab at this starting lineup.
Fitz
Tonks Rossi Roche
MJacob DOC Travers
Redmond Stamp
SNolan (or PJ) Quigley Gizzy
Doyle Banville RJacob
Pikeman, my impeccable sources tell me Stephen Nolan’s thumb is dislocated and he has no chance whatsoever of being ready for next week. It was the worst first half display I’ve probably witnessed from a Wexford senior hurling team but would you not agree there was considerable improvement in the second half? I know we couldn’t have got any worse but I think some of the hurling in the second half was fairly decent and the team deserves a bit of credit for the fact we came back and got ourselves another chance. In that sense I don’t think it was the worst overall display I’ve seen from a Wexford team but I accept that even our improved second half performance wouldn’t be good enough to compete with the top teams. However, it should be a basis from which to build on and at least we found something out about our team line-up and personnel, albeit these lessons should have been learned by management during the league campaign.
Sorry Bandage I was referring to the first half-didn’t make that clear just reading it back.
That’s a balls about Stephen Nolan so. I’d still like to see my team lineup, with PJ instead of the Harriers man. Travers plays wing back/midfield for BBoden and I think he’d do alright there for Wexford. It would free up Stamp to play in the middle of the park and sweep up ball and allow Redmond partner him as an attacking midfielder.
First half was brutal on saturday. The full back line was terrible, mal, rossi, roche, all got taking to the cleaners. Normally this is our strongest line, hopefully this will be a kick up the hole that they need to them three adnd was even more pleasing to see tonks doing well so they’ll realise that there is competition there. Stamp and Jacob were our best men on the field. The second half performance was good, and we showed all the heart and desire that Wexford hurling is all about.
I have to agree with pikeman as regards to mal wing back, fine hurler but he concedes far too much, he’s nearly the oppositions best player every day!
Alot of people are saying Fitzy was very good, he was in open play but some of his puck outs were just crazy, he was being told by management to switch them around from what i could see but he still kept lording them down on david redmond, who was winning no ball.
The DOC was poor in the first half, but in the 2nd half he rised to the occasion and for once, he actually looked like a man who wanted to hurl and who wanted to die for the cause. At one stage he burst david curtin who was coming through the middle and then from the breaking ball he was out over the line blocking o callaghan much to the delight of Willie Sunderland who was wired up to the last running around the place( i know the resulting sideline went over the bar, but at least he was up and putting his body on the line)
Farrell and O’ Leary had very bad days, but when Nolan and Redmond came out they steadied the ship a bit, even though Nolan was a bit cowardly at times. He looks a hard man to keep going.
It annoyed me looking at Quigley at centre forward, his work rate and everything else is phenominal, but sometimes he is just going to have to hold his position as Fallon was just clearing ball after ball. I wouldn’t mind having willie doran on him as i think he’d do the job there, and then maybe quigley midfield with redmond which means pj nolan back into the forwards.
Stephen Doyle offered so much when he came on, his man didn’t even know he was on till he had one over the abar after about 30 seconds of coming on, that’s one good thing about him, you know your going to get plenty of movement but unfortunately i don’t think he’s fit enough to be on from the start the next day.
The full forward line were out of it at times apart from banville he did what was asked of him, if only his hurling ability could improve, he has the ball winning skills for sure. Redmond didn’t win one ball but all he needs is one to get going and thats what happened when he came out to midfield. Rory wasn’t his best but still picked off three valuable points and at least you know everyday you will get a return like that out of him.
In the end, i though a draw was maybe the best result for both teams, it was a battle-hardened championship game and for us, it would have brought on the like of rossi and stephen doyle who are both lacking serious match practice and fitness. Also i think it’ll help whichever team make it to the leinster final and hopefully give kilkenny a good tough game.
Hopefully be a great day out sunday, but we’ve had bad experience before.
C’mon the fuck Wexford!
Interesting article about the Wx v Dub game from afr:
Were it not for Gizzy Lyngs mishit last-gasp free, last weekends Leinster hurling semi-finals would have been an exact replica of 2007s, with Dublins brave effort again coming up short and Offaly being blown away by Kilkenny after putting in a decent first half showing.
The Faithful County certainly fought like demons and defended well for 35 minutes in Port Laoise, but as often happens in situations like this, there was no foresight or direction in the plentiful supply of ball they put into the forwards which was gratefully mopped up by the Kilkenny defenders. Brian Carroll missing a couple of frees when they desperately needed scores and Brendan Murphys no-show didnt help, and the Cats goal just before half time was the killer blow. Still, Offaly did play some good hurling, they have a lot of new faces, and Diarmuid Horan and Michael Verney in particular looked like good prospects.
It is likely that a draw was the best possible result for whichever team emerges from the other side of the draw, as both Dublin and Wexford clearly need another game to get their hurling up to speed. It is hard to know to what extent Dublins first-half dominance was due to Wexfords awfulness but they did show the effects of some good coaching, with their strong challenging for balls in the air, good support play, and a lot of well-directed ball into the forwards. However, you cannot coach craft and experience, and when Wexford began to exert serious pressure in the second half, the Dubs lost their composure big-time.
Much has already been made of Dublins 19 wides, but in addition to that they had three shots blocked, four dropped into the Wexford goalie and one hit the post. Including scores, Dublin essayed 45 shots in all at the Wexford goal during the course of the game. Of the 18 shots that went wide (one wide was not a shot), 13 could be classed as bad wides. These include the two terrible goal misses by John Kelly (little coaching in evidence there) and Jamie Burke. In fact, Damien Fitzhenry did not get one shot to save in the whole game. Wexford did not have as many wide shots as Dublin (13), but their ratio of bad wides was even higher, with eleven in this category.
Appropriately for a drawn game, the total number of plays (apart from frees, sidelines and puckouts) was almost the same for both sides, with Dublin shading it at 175-173. Predictably, Dublin dominated the first half 84-71 while the situation was reversed in the second period 102-91. However, total plays (which include hooks, blocks, short passes and pucks without pressure) only tell part of the story. In the first half, there were 40 good or excellent plays by Dublin and only 19 by Wexford. In the second half, Dublin had almost the same number of good/excellent plays (39) whereas Wexford more than doubled theirs, to 47.
The biggest second-half improvement for Wexford came from David Redmond, who played the ball just once in the first half and twelve times after the change of ends, when he went on a roving mission around the middle of the field. Overall, Wexfords busiest player was, not surprisingly, Mick Jacob with 18, followed by Darren Stamp and Eoin Quigley with 15 each. Strangely, most of Quigleys plays came in the first half, but he still got the score of the match with his late equaliser, a wonderful example of a player taking responsibility on his shoulders. Wexfords next busiest players were David Redmond with 13 and Gizzy Lyng and Stephen Banville with 12 each. Banville might not look like much of a hurler, but he still caused Dublin and Stephen Hiney in particular a lot of discomfort last Saturday.
By far the busiest hurler on the field, and man of the match in this writers view, was Dublins Simon Lambert who played the ball no less than 25 times during his 60 minutes on the field. Most of these were straighforward enough plays, but he was constantly on the ball and moving it along to good effect. One wonders why he was called ashore, as he did not appear to ship any injury. Perhaps the mentors were trying to protect such a raw young player, but his withdrawal certainly did not help the Dublin cause. Indeed, a number of other decisions on the Dublin sideline seemed strange. The substitution of John Kelly was definitely a mistake. His shooting might have been terrible, but his strength and size were a constant thorn in the side of the Wexford defence, and they were much more comfortable after he went off. One wonders also why Jamie Burke was left on the field until almost the very end, as his impact on the game was minimal, with just five plays in total.
Dublins second busiest player was Ronan Fallon with 17 plays, most of which were of good quality. Fallon is clearly still finding his way back after his long lay-off, and experienced a lot of problems against Eoin Quigley, but this extra game will undoubtedly do him a power of good. Just behind him in terms of plays was the excellent Toms Brady with 16, followed by John McCaffrey (14), Joey Boland (13), Dotsy OCallaghan (12) and Ross OCarroll (11). This was the best game An Moltir has seen OCarroll play in a Dublin shirt. Big, strong and lively, he could have a good future on this showing.
It will be interesting to see how Dublin react to playing at headquarters next Sunday, when quite likely they will be greatly outnumbered by Wexford in terms of support. They are in a classic Catch 22 situation. They need experience and craft in order to win games, but you need to win games to get experience and craft. They have about ten good players, but they really need to find a few more if they are to make the top grade. How they miss Conal Keaney at this crucial phase of their development! One other area they need to improve on next Sunday is their ability to win their own puckouts. Last Saturday, Wexford won 60% of their own puckouts (many of them well-directed efforts by Damien Fitzhenry) while Dublin only won 43% of theirs. In a tight game, such differences can ultimately prove crucial.
Laois team named, 1 change from the Wicklow game, Paul Lawlor in for Parkinson
M Nolan; C Healy, M Timmons, J Higgins; T Kelly, D Rooney (capt), P McMahon; K Meaney, J O’Loughlin; R Munnelly, B McCormack, B Sheehan; MJ Tierney, C Kelly, P Lawlor.
Heard Keith Rossiter could be out for the replay v the Dubs.
Disaster.
[quote=“Mac”]Laois team named, 1 change from the Wicklow game, Paul Lawlor in for Parkinson
M Nolan; C Healy, M Timmons, J Higgins; T Kelly, D Rooney (capt), P McMahon; K Meaney, J O’Loughlin; R Munnelly, B McCormack, B Sheehan; MJ Tierney, C Kelly, P Lawlor.[/quote]
Not a bad side, Clancy held in reserve, with a fired up Woolie to be brought in also. Little Donie is on the line also as will Donie K, I’m quite happy with that. Dont expect Bruno to play centre forward imo.
i reckon munnelly will run riot…5 points from play easily…most underrated footballer in the country