Five Talking Points Following Wexford’s Last Gasp Win Over Dublin

The Wexford Senior hurlers travelled to Croke Park on Saturday where they faced Mattie Kenny’s Dublin…

Full-time:

Dublin 0-18
Wexford 2-14

Hot favourites Wexford emerged victorious in their return to Croke Park last Saturday with a two-point win over Dublin. Here, we’ll look back at some of the major talking points.

The referee:

We’re never too critical and especially not of referees, but it’s safe to say that we speak on behalf of everyone when we say that the referee ruined the game. Over 50 frees, 3 red cards and several yellow cards left fans bemused at his performance and was the major talking point following the game.

The comeback:

A blast of some unreal points scored by Rory O’Connor had Wexford within touching distance, despite being down to thirteen men at the stage. A sublime Jack O’Connor goal on the run would put Wexford ahead by one point deep into injury time. Wexford have made a habit out of this; that comes down to their desire and their never-say-die attitude.

Favourites tag:

Other than for the last ten or fifteen minutes, Wexford underperformed in that game. Wides, mis-hits, and to some extent – confusion – left Wexford fans bewildered over the ongoings on the field. If Wexford did not win that game, the focus would be on how poor Wexford were. The last fifteen minutes, thankfully, meant it would be an inspired-comeback that grabbed headlines.

Free-taker:

When Chin was out injured, Paul Morris stepped up to the plate. When Chin was back, both were hitting frees. Perhaps this was due to Chin’s recent absence from the team, but let’s not go back to this area, an area which let us down for many years previous. Like other top-level counties, we need a consistent free-taker and one who’ll consistently split the posts.

Following his exploits during last year’s season, upon his re-introduction, one would expect Chin to take the frees again.

On the topic of free-taking, Wexford do seem to have a top-level penalty taker in Mark Fanning, who expertly slotted the ball into the net from the 21. His penalty proved crucial in last year’s Leinster final and likewise on Saturday…

Lee Chin injury

The Faythe Harriers club man and 2019 All-Star award winner limped off in the second-half with a hamstring injury. He’s only back from injury, so it’s not a good sign from a Wexford perspective. Let’s hope he did not rush into it too quick, that it’s not too serious, and that he’ll be back lining out in the purple and gold sooner rather than later.

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Highlights of the game can be watched here:

Photo: Noel Reddy | Wexford GAA

Read Also:

Wexford’s Allianz Hurling & Football League Fixtures

Five Talking Points Following Wexford’s Two Point Win Over The Cats

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