The Wexford Senior hurling championship is well and truly underway…
Following the Round 1 clashes, the betting odds were released for the outright winner of the Wexford Senior hurling championship.
Last weekend, for Round 2, five of our six predictions came through successfully. Here, we share our predictions for Round 3 of the Wexford Senior hurling championship.
Group A:
St Annes vs Glynn-Barntown
Our prediction for this one is St Annes. They have looked good in their first two games. They defeated St Martins in the opening round, and only for a last minute free, they would have defeated Oylegate last weekend who scraped the draw. A lot has been made about Glynnn-Barntown’s missing players and it no doubt proved to be a costing factor last weekend, losing heavily to St Martins in a local derby. (Prediction: St Annes by 5 points)
St Martins vs Naomh Eanna
This has the makings of a great game and it could be the game oof Round 3. It’s the same pairing as last year’s semi-final, which St Martins won despite being a depleted team at the time, missing key players like Rory O’Connor and Jack O’Connor who came off after just twelve minutes. Both players are now back and are in flying form for their club this year. Saying that, Naomh Eanna were heavily disappointed after last year’s semi-final loss and they will be out to prove a point this weekend. If Naomh Eanna are to win this one, they will not be able to afford another slow start, something that has been noticeable in their opening games to Oylegate/Glenbrien and Faythe Harriers respectively. The Naomh Eanna defence will have their hands full with Rory O’Connor, while the likely battle between Eoin Molloy and Kyle Firman is one to look forward to. At the other end of the pitch, Paddy O’Connor will likely be asked to do a man-marking job on McDonald. (Prediction: Draw @ 9/1)
Faythe Harriers vs Oylegate Glenbrien
It’s true what they say. They Wexford Championship games are always competitive. This game no doubt will be fiercely competitive. Oylegate/Glenrbrien showed a lot of guts last weekend. Two points down in the last eight minutes and with county star Damien Reck receiving his second yellow, it looked like St Annes would win the game. But Oylegate clawed back and showed tremendous spirit. Likewise, if it wasn’t for a bad five minute spell before half-time where they conceded three quick-fire goals to Naomh Eanna, that result could have been a lot different. Last weekend, Faythe Harriers were excellent in the first half, but they failed to register enough points on the scoreboard to assert their dominance. In the second half against Naomh Eanna, they were a different – almost defeated-like team. It will be interesting to see if Shane Reck is given man-marking duties on Lee Chin, as Chin has the potential to destroy any team on his own. (Prediction: Oylegate by 3 points)
Group B:
Ferns vs Rapparees
If Naomh Eanna and St Martins is the game of Group A, there is no doubt that Ferns and the Rapps is the must-watch game for Round 3 of Group B. Both teams are in flying form and after the first two games, probably look like the best two teams across the whole Championship. Ferns are the reigning champions and have started well with two wins from two. The same can be said for the Rapps though, who are actually on top of the leader board of group B through score difference. This will be a tit-for-tat game with both teams playing a nice attacking running style of play, but we think Ferns will have enough to just edge it (Prediction: Ferns)
Shelmaliers vs Oulart-The Ballagh
The Shels registered their first win of the Championship last weekend, having defeated Rathnure by 10 points in the process. On the other hand, Oulart-The Ballagh, are yet to register their first win. Oulart drew their first game to the Beg, and lost out to reigning champions Ferns by six points last weekend. After only coming up from the Intermediate Championship, Oulart will have that fire in their belly and will know that they need a big performance here. But the Shels always go well in the Wexford Championship and they are in better form than Oulart. (Prediction: Shelmaliers by 4)
Crossabeg vs Rathnure
At the start of the championship, the bookies had these two teams as the least likely to win the championship. After two games, Crossabeg have one point on the board following their first rounddraw with Oulart, while Rathnure are yet to register any points. A win this weekend would be seen as crucial for both teams, and both teams will think that they can win it. It could be a battle of the centre-backs and the game has the potential to be dominated by returning player, Paudie Foley. It wouldn’t even be surprising to see either of the centre-backs pop up with crucial scores for their side. This one is hard to pick, and if I was doing an accumulator, I would be reluctant to put any team into it. But, for the sake of our predictions and little else, we’ll go with Rathnure for this one. (Prediction: Rathnure)
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