The Wexford Senior hurling team defeated Galway in Chadwicks Wexford Park today…
At the end of the game, the score-board read 1-28 to 0-23 in favour of the Model County. It was Wexford’s first win of the Championship, having drawn with Dublin in the first round and then lost to Antrim in the second round.
Wexford needed to bounce back and that’s exactly what they did, much to the joy of proud Wexford hurling supporters in attendance, as ‘Dancing at the Crossroads’ rang out over the speakers and kids ran onto the pitch to congratulate their heroes.
In our post-match reflection of the Antrim game, we mentioned that it’s still all to play for and that Wexford defeating Galway would be the most Wexford thing to do because after all, it is Wexford. In the build up to this clash against Galway, Richie Hogan had mentioned that Wexford have a dual personality which is their biggest downfall. But, to our delight, it was the Wexford we know and love that showed up today.
Jippo’s back:
For the first fifteen minutes of the game, nothing was passing Liam Ryan. To have him back in the defence brings an energy and a composure. He’s a rock in defence and his performance today showcased how much Wexford were actually missing him. His size, power, speed, strength, and most importantly, his ability to come out with multiple balls and stop his man from playing provides a platform for this Wexford team. Looking at him today, he didn’t look like a man who had not hurled in over six months.
Cian’s red card:
Mid-way through the second half, Wexford’s corner forward, Cian Byrne, was given a straight red card by the referee and was sent to the stands. He was adjudged to have dangerously charged at Galway’s Donal O’Shea as he raced towards the ball. O’Shea’s helmet went flying in the air. On South East Radio after the game, both Tom Dempsey and Galway pundit Cyrill Farrell stated that Wexford should appeal the red card, otherwise he will definitely be ruled out for their next game against Carlow. From my side on the open side, it did look like a red card – but it wasn’t malicious and it was a complete accident from my viewing.
The young Wexford man will be bitterly disappointed with the sending off, but he should be very happy with the dangerous threat he posed in the inside forward line during his time on the pitch. He scored 0-03 from play and worked like a trojan when he didn’t have the ball. A highlight of the first half was when Cian Byrne through a back hand-pass to Rory O’Connor, who then found space to slot the ball over the bar; it was pure magic. One of the beautiful things about the red card was Wexford’s response. Instead of dying down or viewing it as an easy excuse, Wexford tried even harder to win the ball and arguably, it rallied the team on even more.
Rory’s hook & point:
To be fair, this whole piece could have been about Rory O’Connor’s performance alone. The St Martins club man was on fire today, scoring 1-06 from play for the Yellowbellies in the process. After Cian’s sending off, he worked incredibly hard in the inside forward line. One of the moments of the match came late in the second half. Galway had taken a short puck-out to their corner back who was standing on the corner of his own 45. O’Connor sprinted his hardest, hooked the Galway defender, won the ball, and hit the sliotar sweetly over the black spot from that same tight angle. After the umpire raised the white flag, fans joyously jumped up from their seats, pumping their fists in the air. It was a moment that not only summed up Rory’s performance, but it summed up Wexford’s performance. They tried their hardest, fought for everything, and reaped the rewards.
Back in contention:
Last week, there was murmurings around the county that Wexford could be relegated and that the match against Carlow will ultimately be a relegation final. After today’s result at home to Galway, Wexford are now very much so back in contention. It won’t be easy though. In two weeks time, Wexford travel to Dr Cullen Park in Carlow. It will be a game that Carlow would have targeted from the outset, especially given their home advantage. After that, Wexford will have their final Leinster Championship round robin match against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park. Ahead of today’s clash, Wexford knew that they would have to win their last three games to give themself a chance to be placed into a Leinster Final. That idea still remains. Wexford’s season is far from over and there’s plenty of hurling still to do.
Unused subs:
Wexford manager Keith Rossiter took an interesting approach. He made four changes to the original team that was released to the media on Friday morning – and the same team that lost to Antrim last weekend. Kevin Foley was replaced by Richie Lawlor, Eoin Ryan replaced Simon Donohoe, Jack O’Connor replaced Cathal Dunbar, while Liam Ryan replaced Niall Murphy. Two minutes into the first half, Rossiter made his first change. Jack O’Connor, who returned heavily strapped in the second half, could not continue and Dunbar replaced him. If it wasn’t for his injury, he wouldn’t have been replaced that early either.
Interestingly, he only used one more sub in the game, and that was when he introduced Mikey Dwyer for Conor McDonald on the 68th minute mark. Given how frantic the game was and the fact that Wexford were down to fourteen men, it was certainly an interesting approach to take. In today’s game, most teams will use close to their full compliment of subs. But, perhaps, another way to look at it is that Wexford were playing well – and why change a winning formula?
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To Wexford’s delight, Wexford will have two weeks to recover before their next clash. Their next clash takes place in Dr Cullen Park against Carlow, a team that will fighting with tooth and nail to ensure they secure their Liam McCarthy status for next year.
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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