Wexford hurling star Martin Storey has pinpointed one area that needs to be addressed moving into the next hurling season..
In 2020, Wexford were well off-the-pace. Two losses, to both Galway and Clare respectively, forced the Yellowbellies out of the 2020 Championship after just two championship games.
The disappointing year followed the highs of the previous year where the Model County were crowned Leinster Champions for the first time since ‘04 and then lost out narrowly to eventual All-Ireland winners, Tipperary, in the All-Ireland hurling semi-final.
Speaking to The Sunday World, 1996 All-Ireland winning captain, Martin Storey, pinpointed one area that needs to be addressed moving into the 2021 season.
“There’s only one game-plan that works in a game, whoever is winning and dominating, that’s why you need Plan B and Plan C and we didn’t look like we had them last year.”
“If Plan A fails, you have to be able to turn then to Plan B. You go back to Páirc Uí Chaoimh a few years ago (2018) when Clare were running riot and we started playing long ball in and Conor McDonald got on the end of one and all of a sudden we were back in the game with a goal, that’s because we went back to Plan B which is long ball into good high-fielding forwards.
“We didn’t seem to change much last year. We were playing a lot of diagonal, cross-field balls and hitting the ball backwards, it was as if they were afraid to go forward with it and when a team knows you’re playing like that, they can push up on you and all of a sudden you end up under unreal pressure.
“How we didn’t lay a glove on Tony Kelly (against Clare) is beyond belief? I don’t think he was put on the back of his a**e and I’m not talking about dirty stuff, but there was no aggression and that will have to change this year.”
It’s one belief and comment that is sure to resonate with many Wexford hurling supporters after last year, as Wexford often looked void of a Plan B when their sweeper system game plan wasn’t working.
Storey’s comments are similar to that of Kilkenny hurling legend, Henry Shefflin, who argued that Wexford looked ‘devoid of ideas’ in their championship match against Clare in 2020.
Here’s hoping that Wexford will navigate the 2021 season successfully and that the Wexford roar will return to the Championship games.
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