The Wexford Senior hurlers took on Galway in the Walsh Cup on Sunday afternoon at Dr. Cullen Park…
Keith Rossiter’s Wexford side emerged victorious from the game, winning on a score-line of 1-21 to 0-16.
Here, we’ll go through the major talking points from the game.
Wexford’s dominance:
Wexford were very impressive in this game. From the start, they dominated proceedings which was a huge positive from a Wexford perspective. In particular, the middle third was totally dominant; Wexford’s wing-back line, their mid-field line, and the wing-forward line were in charge throughout the match. Damien Reck, Corey-Byrne Dunbar, Lee Chin, Jack O’Connor and James Byrne all performed excellently. Whereas Wexford may have lacked intensity in previous years, that certainly wasn’t the case on Sunday. Wexford brought the intensity to this match and Galway simply couldn’t match it. Wexford’s intensity, ball-winning ability, and tackling were all aspects of the play that Keith Rossiter will be hoping to continue into the League and Championship campaign for 2024.
Style of play:
Wexford’s style of play was worth noting. Wexford were not afraid to vary their style, which was seen as a positive by supporters. Even though the short passing and running game were still obvious elements to Wexford’s play, another element which was clear was Wexford’s use of direct ball into the inside forwards. For most of the game, Wexford played with two inside forwards; Richie Lawlor and Fethard’s Cian Byrne. The two fast-paced forwards caused damage to the Galway defence with their speed and their ability to win the ball out in front of their markers. Corey Byrne Dunbar’s and Kevin Foley’s play-making ability helped to open the Galway defence on multiple occasions too. Foley’s move to centre-forward has been a positive for Wexford and it’ll be interesting to see if Rossiter continues with the Rapparees clubman in this position as the year continues.
Healthy competition:
From the fan looking in, it’s clear that there’s a new-found healthy competition for places on with this particular Wexford team. There has been some talk about Wexford’s missing players for the Walsh Cup campaign and about their return to the team. However, after looking at yesterday’s game, some players may no longer be definite starters. Newcomers Niall Murphy and Eoin Ryan performed excellently in the corner-back position; can Simon Donohoe or Shane Reck come straight back in? Conor Foley had a powerful performance in the full-back spot – can we take him out for Liam Ryan? Take Hearne out for Dunbar? Take Richie out for Liam Og or McDonald? It can be hard to justify some decisions, but it’s clear that the competition for places on the starting fifteen is the toughest in quite some time, which can only be seen as healthy and a way to improve the team and panel.
Silverware for Rossi:
It’s his first year in charge, but it’s definitely off to a positive start. In his first competition as manager of the Wexford Senior hurling team, new manager Keith Rossiter has claimed silverware with his charges. And while many will of course say that ‘it’s only the Walsh Cup’, it’s the way that he won the competition that should be discussed. Against Carlow, Kilkenny in the semi-final, and Galway in the final, he gave chances to an array of players who haven’t been given chances before. Aaron Duggan in the goal, James Byrne, Tucker Kinsella, Niall Murphy, Eoin Ryan, Cian Molloy, Corey Byrne Dunbar, Cian Byrne can be viewed as newcomers and they all played a significant part in bringing silverware back to Wexford. It’s Wexford’s first time winning the competition since 2020 – and Rossiter will be hoping it’s not the only piece of silverware that will be heading Slaneyside for 2024.
Kilkenny next week:
The Wexford Senior hurlers won’t be celebrating this one. There was a real ‘job done, onto the next’ vibe from the team after this victory. They will be well aware that this is a pre-season competition and bigger tests lie ahead. One such test is their Allianz League clash against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park next weekend. Kilkenny will be looking to lay down a marker, especially since Wexford seem to have somewhat of an upper-hand on them in recent years. Both sides, who are historic rivals, will be aiming to get their League campaign off to winning ways. The game will provide a much better insight into this Wexford team, and I, for one, am really looking forward to it.
