Wexford look like a side on the up. I reckon i’ll have a punt on them today to get to the Leinster Final. They should beat the round robin winners in quarter final even if the likes of Carlow and Laois are making huge strides and I’d give them every chance of beating Dublin in a Leinster semi final.
We should win Leinster this year provided our defensive injuries clear up in time. We have Eoin Moore back now and I’d expect Rossiter, O’Hanlon and Chin to join him in 4 of the 6 defensive slots. Then it’s a case of hoping Shore can overcome his ankle fracture to start in the half back line and Ciaran Kenny would be the other most likely starter. It’s a big ask to expect Mossy Waters to recover in time after his horrific injury last year.
We’d be as well to let Kilkenny hammer us in a few weeks time to let them build up some false hope. No point showing them our hand this early in the season.
Oh dear, this is my second attempt at this having lost my initial attempt.
While yesterday was frustrating we have had much darker days in the past 10 years following Wexford hurling.
We got a good start, Guiney got an early goal and looked like he would cause McDonnell considerable trouble for the afternoon - but didn’t. Our hurling was creative and intelligent with good support play and runners worked hard off the ball. Delivery to forwards was also good. two goals conceded around 20-25 minutes in the space of 60 seconds cost us dearly. The first was a free from Horgan after Fanning fumbled a ball and then was penalised for over carrying. The second was after a long free from Nash, Fanning tried to gather into his chest but spilled and I think Conor Lehane finished to the net.
Those goals were the difference up until half time. We trailed by 5 at the break but had hurled pretty well. I felt we needed to get the first few scores of the second half but we didn’t. However, we stuck at it and had a purple patch around the middle of the second half and rattled off 7 off the next 9 points and closed the gap to 1. A little clichéd probably, but even at this stage it didn’t look like we believed we could win. Cork responded pretty well, crowd got behind them and Seamus Harnedy ran us ragged. Very surprised at how long Dunne watched Harnedy destroy Willie Devereux. Struggled with his pace power and direct running.
We kept plugging away and still created some goal scoring opportunities but didn’t take them. I think we deserved to finish a little closer to them than we eventually did but we did have to work harder for our scores than they did.
We are moving in the right direction. Dunne is making us competitive again and for that we have to be thankful. But more than that, we try to play an attractive brand of hurling now which is good to watch. We are now physically fit enough and strong enough to play a fast support running game. Our work rate was good and we had plenty of off the shoulder, third man runs, which created over laps and scoring opportunities. At times we still lack the intensity required at the highest level I think, but the more games we play against quality opposition the more we will learn.
We also undo a lot of our good work with silly fumbles etc when under little pressure. This then allows an opportunity for the opposition to make a tackle or get back in position. Again, more games against better opposition will bring us on in this regard I hope.
Overall, a decent effort from most yesterday. Fanning will be disappointed with the two goals but he will recover. Full back line looked shaky at times but Rossiter and O’Hanlon grew into the game. Cork did look dangerous but bar the two mistakes they didn’t have many goal chances. Bobby Kenny deserved his red, knew what he was doing, it was intentional and personally I hope he gets a lengthy ban I wont be sorry if he isn’t given a Wexford jersey again. Has given refs and the media another opportunity to hammer us and it is just unnecessary but he never learns.
Liam Ryan was withdrawn at half time - not sure why, Chin was decent and Devereux struggled badly on Harnedy. Diarmuid O’Keefe is a tremendous hurler. Great work rate, intelligent delivery and assured first touch. Harry Kehoe is very frustrating. Gets on a lot of ball but his striking repeatedly lets him down and he fumbles far too often. I would prefer to see Chin partner O’Keefe in the middle when we have Shore/Kenny back. Eoin Moore came on at half time and my opinion on him hasn’t changed - he is a quality hurler!
Morris hurled well, and Jacob showed plenty throughout the game as well and certainly still has something to offer. Guiney continues to flatter to deceive. The game passed Conor McDonald by a little bit but he showed glimpses of his class. Tomkins was average. Liam Og came off at half time and I assume it was injury related. He is a real threat, a very direct runner and can score but maybe needs to trust his striking a little more as has a tendency to carry into trouble. Podge Doran showed well when he came on.
Whatever the outcome, next week’s game will stand to us.
Great report, @stevie G. 
Doran was one of the players I kind of forgot about with all our other injuries.
Who actually started centre forward for us?
Who was marking Horgan and Lehane?
There was a good bit of movement. Rossiter was on Lehane early on and Chin was Horgan who was positioned at centre forward. However, Lehane certainly hurled further out the field in second half and picked off some good points. Cork forwards moved about but our backs held their position and picked up whoever was their direct opponent at the time. Harnedy was very good and I thought Kearney was brilliant in the middle of the field for cork. Savage work rate and hurled a lot of ball.
Conor McDonald actually started at centre forward as per team named.
How did Brian Lawton and Alan Cadogan do for Cork.
I didn’t get a programme Turenne, so apologies if this is very wrong but I think Lawton started wing forward and was taken off mid way through second half. Would he have started in place of Aidan Walsh? He didn’t necessarily stand out for me but if it is the guy I am thinking of he did work very hard and was an important cog in Cork’s short passing game plan. I think Cadogan came on during the second half and he did look lively and caused a few problems for Wexford late on.
Cork’s best performers were Kearney and Harnedy for me.
[QUOTE=“stevie G, post: 920872, member: 35”]I didn’t get a programme Turenne, so apologies if this is very wrong but I think Lawton started wing forward and was taken off mid way through second half. Would he have started in place of Aidan Walsh? He didn’t necessarily stand out for me but if it is the guy I am thinking of he did work very hard and was an important cog in Cork’s short passing game plan. I think Cadogan came on during the second half and he did look lively and caused a few problems for Wexford late on.
Cork’s best performers were Kearney and Harnedy for me.[/QUOTE]
Cadogan scored 3 points when he came on. Harnedy is a class act.
[QUOTE=“stevie G, post: 920872, member: 35”]I didn’t get a programme Turenne, so apologies if this is very wrong but I think Lawton started wing forward and was taken off mid way through second half. Would he have started in place of Aidan Walsh? He didn’t necessarily stand out for me but if it is the guy I am thinking of he did work very hard and was an important cog in Cork’s short passing game plan. I think Cadogan came on during the second half and he did look lively and caused a few problems for Wexford late on.
Cork’s best performers were Kearney and Harnedy for me.[/QUOTE]
Spot on, thanks for the info.
@Appendage doesn’t go to Wexford matches anymore.
Injury Update courtesy of The Wexford People:
Liam McGovern and Shane Tomkins were forced off at half time on Sunday with hamstring and calf strains respectively. Eoin Moore sustained a dead leg when he was introduced and Ciaran Kenny missed out completely with a hamstring strain too. All four are battling to be fit for Sunday.
Meanwhile, Andrew Shore (ankle) and Garrett Sinnott (hamstring) will be out of contention for a further 3 weeks and Richie Kehoe (knee ligaments) is a month away from a return.
Sinnott, Kehoe and other panel members Shaun Murphy, Kevin Foley and Emmet Kent were put through a work-out by trainer Paul Kinsella on the Pairc Ui Rinn pitch pre-game on Sunday.
Ian Byrne will be available again after a family bereavement.
Feel free to rate this post as “informative”.
BREAKING: McGovern’s ma told someone else’s ma earlier that he doesn’t have a hamstring injury and that the problem is in another area. I’m choosing not to disclose where exactly as I don’t want @Midshipman Asha to notify the Kilkenny camp.
As an aside, I’ve noticed a great understanding between the St Anne’s duo O’Keeffe and McGovern in our games to date. McGovern’s ability to run at defences and lay off passes to teammates arriving at pace is excellent. O’Keeffe got on the end of a couple of these in Limerick and again (judging by TG4 highlights) in Cork on Sunday.
They’re both very skilful, which contrasts with the county winning St Anne’s side from around the turn of the millennium who relied on determination and boggery doggedness.
[QUOTE=“Bandage, post: 921366, member: 9”]BREAKING: McGovern’s ma told someone else’s ma earlier that he doesn’t have a hamstring injury and that the problem is in another area. I’m choosing not to disclose where exactly as I don’t want @Midshipman Asha to notify the Kilkenny camp.
As an aside, I’ve noticed a great understanding between the St Anne’s duo O’Keeffe and McGovern in our games to date. McGovern’s ability to run at defences and lay off passes to teammates arriving at pace is excellent. O’Keeffe got on the end of a couple of these in Limerick and again (judging by TG4 highlights) in Cork on Sunday.
They’re both very skilful, which contrasts with the county winning St Anne’s side from around the turn of the millennium who relied on determination and boggery doggedness.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=“Bandage, post: 921366, member: 9”]BREAKING: McGovern’s ma told someone else’s ma earlier that he doesn’t have a hamstring injury and that the problem is in another area. I’m choosing not to disclose where exactly as I don’t want @Midshipman Asha to notify the Kilkenny camp.
As an aside, I’ve noticed a great understanding between the St Anne’s duo O’Keeffe and McGovern in our games to date. McGovern’s ability to run at defences and lay off passes to teammates arriving at pace is excellent. O’Keeffe got on the end of a couple of these in Limerick and again (judging by TG4 highlights) in Cork on Sunday.
They’re both very skilful, which contrasts with the county winning St Anne’s side from around the turn of the millennium who relied on determination and boggery doggedness.[/QUOTE]
It’s ok @Bandage, I don’t tell all I know about the KK camp on here (too boring, obviously) so I won’t inform my sources of that nugget from the Someone’s Ma chain!
Who’s all going to the open side terrace in Wexford Park on Sunday?
Signing in.
Fanning;
Rossiter, O’Hanlon, Moore;
O’Keeffe, Chin, C Kenny;
Tomkins, H Kehoe;
Morris, McDonald, Byrne;
Jacob, Guiney, McGovern.
That’s the closest we’ve been to a “championship” team all season. Eoin Moore back in for the suspended Bobby Kenny and Ciaran Kenny for Willie Devereux in two direct changes. Ian Byrne also returns in place of Liam Ryan but that comes with a few positional switches.
As mentioned earlier in the week, our half back line is still a bit unsettled. Good to have Kenny back but O’Keeffe is selected there to strengthen that sector. He’s been excellent throughout the league, primarily in midfield but he’s also had game time at wing forward and wing back.
I’d say it’s more likely Byrne will start in midfield with Tomkins into the half forward line.
This all assumes the players carrying injuries (Moore, Tomkins, C Kenny, McGovern) are actually going to start.
Pretty happy with that team and Shore is also named in the subs along with David Redmond.
@Bandage et al - what are the confidence levels like sorrounding this game?
Great mactch report above by @stevie G
[QUOTE=“Fitzy, post: 922796, member: 236”]@Bandage et al - what are the confidence levels like sorrounding this game?
Great mactch report above by @stevie G[/QUOTE]
Not sure really. We’re improving at a very decent rate from an admittedly low base but there’s still quite a bit of ground to make up on the main contenders. There’s always a wariness that Kilkenny could bury you, like they did to Waterford last week, but I expect us to give a good account of ourselves and be very competitive if that team above lines out.
@briantinnion - are you not going to Fermanagh for the football instead this Sunday?
Lads, thoughts on the hurling?