The Wexford Senior hurlers were back in action yesterday…
Darragh Egan’s side were faced with the daunting challenge of taking on Henry Shefflin’s in form Galway on a windy day in Pearse Stadium, Salthill.
Egan’s men proved themselves to be more than up for the challenge and prevailed with a convincing 6 point win over Shefflin’s Tribesmen on a score-line of 2-15 to 0-15.
The Wexford performance was far from perfect yet the Wexford team deserves great praise for their resilience, consistency and creativity throughout the match. In tightly contested matches such as these, we learn quite a lot about the Wexford team.
Following this show of determination and skill from Wexford, it is worth discussing what their triumph in Salthill told us about them.
CONSISTENCY:
The first two games of Wexford’s National Hurling League Campaign have been a resounding success. Egan’s side had a remarkable win against the reigning All-Ireland champions, Limerick in Chadwicks Wexford Park and a convincing victory against Clare in Ennis.
Many were cautiously optimistic following these games as although Egan’s men had defeated two very able sides, many still remembered the drubbing Wexford had received at the hands of Dublin in the Walsh Cup final.
However, it is very likely these lingering fears surrounding the quality of Egan’s side have been dispelled following this hard won victory against the Tribesmen. Very few could doubt the sheer quality of this Wexford team following three impressive performances and victories against three of the titans of modern hurling.
DEPTH:
One of the main grievances of Wexford supporters during the reign of Davy Fitzgerald was the stagnancy within the panel. It seemed as if there was a set team that would be named each week regardless of form or suitability to the task that faced them.
Darragh Egan and his backroom team showed that under their management this certainly will not be the case.
Last minute changes were made before the game as Shane Reck was brought on for Liam Ryan and Cathal Dunbar was brought on for Conor McDonald. Even though Wexford were without Conor McDonald, Liam Ryan, Lee Chin and Paul Morris all of whom are very influential player, who play a key role in Wexford’s game, Egan’s side showed no signs of missing them.
The players still performed to a very high standard and gave a dominant display, which is a testament to their depth. During the game, four Wexford substitutes were given their chance to make their mark. Richie Lawlor, Conor Hearne, Rory Higgins and Oisín Pepper all saw action in Salthill.
These younger members of the panel were brought on in place of experienced players who act as integral cogs in the Wexford machine. This proves the depth of the panel as these players slotted seamlessly into the team and made a real impact.
Both Hearne and Higgins linked up to relieve a Wexford backline which was under serious pressure from the Galway forwards. Lawlor made a deft pass in the dying embers of the match to clear the ball out of the Wexford half and Oisín Pepper perhaps had the most significant contribution of all the substitutes as he showed a cool head to score a fantastic goal and a point which swung the balance of the game back in Wexford’s favour.
WASTEFUL
Although many of the things we learned about Wexford in their victory in Salthill were overwhelmingly positive, some aspects of their game left a lot to be desired.
It could be said Wexford were often very wasteful with the ball and were not very economical in their use of it. Many Wexford attacks were not ended by a block from a Galway defender, but from Wexford being very wasteful with the ball. Many long range frees dropped short of the target or were hit wide and many long range efforts from open play suffered from the same issues.
Under Davy Fitzgerald, Wexford’s puck-out was the focal point of their game and the Wexford puck-out in Salthill left a lot to be desired too. Often, the puck-out did not hit its target and even when it did, Wexford struggled to gather the ball. Although most of the takeaways from this game are very positive Wexford’s wastefulness in possession could be a major problem in the League games to come.
GOALS
Over the last few years, it could be said that Wexford did not have the clinical instinct to create goal scoring opportunities. This lack of goal chances was often to Wexford’s detriment and was often the difference between a win and a loss.
However, in Salthill, not only did Oisín Pepper and Cathal Dunbar score two well-worked goals, but many more other chances were created too. Were it not for a skilful save from the Galway keeper, Darragh Fahy, and courageous defending from the Galway backs Wexford could well have had three or four goals in the game. This was most certainly a very positive development in Wexford’s game.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RORY O’CONNOR
Since St. Martin’s man Rory O’Connor burst onto the scene in 2017 against Waterford in Pairc Uí Chaoimh, his talent and ability have been evident. Over the past five years, Rory has become crucial to Wexford’s game, and Sunday’s game in Salthill was no exception.
As well as scoring five excellent points from play, he gave some very smart passes to his teammates in attack. He was central to Wexford’s first half goal, having broken through the Galway defence and passing the ball to Mikie Dwyer who in turn gave the ball to Cathal Dunbar who finished with great skill. Following the substitution of Jack O’Connor, Rory took up the free-taking duties and calmly slotted a free over the bar. If Wexford are to continue winning, Rory O’Connor’s contribution will remain central to that. At the moment, he must be up there with the most in-form players around.
TEAM EFFORT
Although Rory O’Connor was central to Wexford’s victory, he was by no means the only player on the field who contributed to the triumph. In fact, the exact opposite is true. All of his teammates made a very strong contribution to the victory.
This is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that nine Wexford players found their names on the scoresheet. The fact that from the full back line to the full forward line there was a contribution to Wexford’s final tally shows that Wexford are very strong as a panel and are not overly reliant on one player.
It is clear that following Wexford’s victory over Galway we learned quite a bit about Egan’s Wexford side. Indeed, as the league and championship unfolds before us, we will continue to learn more about this Wexford team and Darragh Egans’ approach.
All The Scorers:
Scorers for Galway: Conor Cooney 0-9 (0-7f, 0-1 sideline), Gearoid McInerney 0-1, Adrian Tuohey 0-1, Joseph Cooney 0-1, Cianan Fahy 0-1, John Fleming 0-1, Kevin Cooney 0-1.
Scorers for Wexford: Rory O’Connor 0-5 (0-1f), Oisin Pepper 1-1, Cathal Dunbar 1-0, Diarmuid O’Keeffe 0-2, Paudie Foley 0-2 (0-2f), Jack O’Connor 0-2 (0-2f), Mikie Dwyer 0-1, Liam Og McGovern 0-1, Simon Donohoe 0-1.
Featured Image: Noel Reddy
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