RTE Pundits Don’t Hold Back With Their Criticism Of Wexford Senior Hurling Team

Sunday 21st May 2023. It was a day to forget for Wexford hurling supporters….

It marked a day when the Wexford Senior hurling team were defeated by Westmeath at home in Chadwicks Wexford Park.

To make matters worse, and even more unbelievable, is the fact that they were up by sixteen points at half-time – and there was no wind, or obvious reason why Westmeath would overcome the Yellowbellies and dominate them as much as they did in the second-half.

On RTE’s The Sunday Game, pundits Jackie Tyrell and Liam Sheedy did not hold back with their criticism for the Wexford Senior hurling team.

Most of the criticism was aimed towards the players, with both Jackie Tyrrell and Liam Sheedy questioning the Wexford team’s character, including their leadership and desire.

“It’s spiraling out of control.”

“When you think they played Clare in an All-Ireland quarter-final last year and how close they were… stopped them from getting to an All-Ireland final in 2019, and now they’re facing down the barrel of potentially going down to the Joe McDonagh this year. It’s actually scary.

“For Darragh Egan, sending his troops back out after half time, 2-15 to 0-5 up, the players… like what? No leadership, I would say spineless in lots of ways.

“They just totally gave up. Didn’t bring the fight at all and any bit of resistance Westmeath put up, they never came back. I actually don’t know where Wexford go from here but it’s so concerning for a proud hurling county,” Jackie Tyrrell said.

Sheedy echoed those sentiments and also did not hold back his criticism either. No criticism was made towards his former selector with Tipperary, and current manager, Darragh Egan, despite many people calling for a new Wexford hurling manager now.

“It was just basic errors. They look like a group with no confidence, no leadership and it’s coming through in their play,” Sheedy said.

“I know they got a massive result against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park last year but they look miles away from that. It’s really concerning for them now.

“At the moment, there’s three teams that can find themselves in the Joe McDonagh next year and Wexford are absolutely one of them.”

Tyrell noted that the concerns related to Wexford hurling could stretch to the bigger picture; the lack of underage success in the county.

“There is a concern maybe Waterford and Wexford are slipping,” Tyrrell added, “and slipping at an alarming rate, when you look at the lack of underage success and underage penetration coming through.

“I know the Wexford U20s had a good team coming but they need to get them through really quickly.

“What was concerning for me against Dublin, you could see Liam Ryan was injured and they left him on for 55 minutes. Lee Chin isn’t right, so what’s that saying to the panel of subs that they have injured players playing?”

The full segment from The Sunday Game can be watched below:

Jason Redmond
Jason Redmond

From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.

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