After five rounds of games, the Wexford Senior hurling championship is now in the quarter-final stages…
Following the five rounds, the quarter-final pairings have been confirmed and the games will take place this weekend in Wexford Park.
St Martins will take on Crossabeg, the Rapps will take on Naomh Eanna, Ferns will be against Oylegate, while St Annes will be up against the Shelmaliers.
St Martins vs Crossabeg
Tipping teams to beat Crossabeg/Ballymurn has not gone well for me so far. But there’s no doubt that they’re going to be really up against it in this one. There’s no doubt that Crossabeg have serious players that can cause damage. While Paudie Foley leads in defence, they have the likes of Oisin Foley and Brody Murphy up top that can cause damage. Despite that, we think that the Martins – with the likes of the O’Connors, Joe Coleman, and Conor Firman – will have too much firepower across the pitch and their defence can stop Crossabeg in their tracks. Our prediction here is St Martins to win by more than five points. (Prediction: St Martins)
Rapps vs Naomh Eanna
This is probably the pick of the quarter-final games. On current form, the Rapps will definitely fancy their chances to win this game. Naomh Eanna have been somewhat hit-and-miss in their round-robin games. Although they didn’t need to win last weekend against St Annes, they did have an almost full-strength team out, notwithstanding their three injuries, and you can be sure that they went out to win that game. Likewise, the Rapps will be somewhat disappointed with the fact that they couldn’t hold out to secure a victory against a Shels team that’s also looked hot and cold. As always, the battle between county stars Conor McDonald and Liam Ryan is for sure going to be another battle for the ages. This could really go either way, but with their current form, we’re going for the Rapps to win this one. (Prediction: Rapparees).
Ferns vs Oylegate-Glenbrien
Ferns will play Oylegate in another quarter-final. For most prediction posts, we’ve said that Ferns look to be the team of the Championship. They’ve carried through last year’s Championship winning mentality, having secured five wins from five in the group stages. It’s a different ball game now, given it’s knockout, but Ferns will know exactly what they’ll need to do to get over the line. Des Mythen’s Oylegate side will be well-prepared, and they’ve shown that they can upset teams. When you have the likes of Damien Reck, Shane Reck, Seamus Casey and Podge Doran, you can trouble any team. Still, I think Ferns will have enough to get over the line with this one – and who could think any different in their current form? (Prediction: Ferns by 7)
St Annes vs Shelmaliers
St Annes will play the Shelmaliers in another quarter-final. This has the makings of a solid game, and along with the Naomh Eanna and Rapps game, looks to be the pick of the quarter-final pairings. They are both dogged teams and there’s no doubt that they’ll leave everything on the pitch; you know what you’re getting with these two sides. On paper, the Shels have players to trouble many teams – but there’s something about them this year. They do not seem to be their usual selves. Meanwhile, St Annes are as dogged as ever; they will fight for every ball and with the likes of Schokman, McGovern and O’Keefee, they can cause damage to this Shelmaliers team. (Prediction: St Annes by 3).
Relegation final: Glynn vs Rathnure
Meanwhile, Glynn-Barntown will battle it out against Rathnure in a relegation final. The loser will drop down to the Intermediate Championship for next year. Both teams have struggled in this year’s championship, and although it may be harsh, they have been the two worst teams in the championship. Both teams will have a right cut at this and both will know what’s at stake, especially given how tough the Wexford Intermediate Championship is. Out of the two, despite Rowan White’s return to the set-up, it looks like Glynn-Barntown could suffer relegation this year. (Prediction: Rathnure to win by 3)
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