DAVY FITZGERALD DIDN’T hold back after Wexford surrendered their Leinster crown with a 1-26 to 0-17 semi-final loss to Galway tonight.
He issued an apology to Wexford supporters and said his players “threw in the towel” long before the finish.
“For the first time in the three and a bit years I’ve been with Wexford, we didn’t fight,” said Fitzgerald after the game.
“We threw in the towel, that’s the bottom line. I have to apologise to the Wexford people because we’re not like that and we let them down today. We didn’t perform and we hold our hands up because we were absolutely terrible.
“We were shocking. Any team you go out over you want them to fight, we didn’t do it today and that’s not good enough as far as I’m concerned.”
The Clare native, in his fourth year in charge of the Model County, couldn’t put his finger on the reason for their lack of fight.
“I don’t know why that was. The first 20 minutes we were in it, we probably had two or three goal chances, we retaliated when we shouldn’t have retaliated. But they’re small things.
“As the game went on they wanted it, they won the 50/50 battles more and the thing that’s most annoying for me is we didn’t push in the last 15 or 20 minutes. We put up the white flag and we just saw the game out. That is very disappointing.
“There’s no point hiding when you have a performance like that, you man up and saw it as it is. That’s how we were and that’s it, end of story.
“Nothing surprises me in hurling, this happens. I’ve said it a long time, I’ve been lucky enough in three and a bit years that 99% of our performances are 110% (of effort). You don’t night getting one on a Leinster championship night like tonight but not good enough.”
After the joyous scenes on Jones’ Road when they delivered the Leinster crown in 2019, Wexford gave up their title after being outclassed tonight which frustrated their manager.
“They wanted it more, simple as that. I’m just disappointed. I believe in the battle, that’s all I’ve ever believed in and that just didn’t happen tonight.
“I’m disappointed for the lads because they’ve actually worked hard. I absolutely adore them lads, I’ve unbelievable time for them but that’s not acceptable what we did tonight.
“They’re a great bunch but it’s not acceptable how we went tonight. You feel that sick in your stomach, it’s incredible. I can get over being beaten but we’re better than that. We’re a lot better than that.”
They now wait for Monday morning’s qualifier draw with Clare, Cork and Tipperary or Limerick lying in wait.
“Listen I don’t care, whatever draw we get is going to be a tough one. You’re going to get either Clare, Cork or Tipp/Limerick so whatever you do from here on in you’re meeting a top quality side as good as we’ve met tonight. So that’s where you’re at.
“Listen, there’s other teams that got the same thing. Tipperary got beaten in the Munster final last year pretty well. I’m not really worried what the result is the next day, what I’ll be worried about is will we come out and will we fucking fight, that’s the fucking name of the game.
“I’m involved in fucking hurling to compete, I’m not involved to just go out there put up the white flag and hand Galway a game like we did tonight. It’s absolutely horrendous and I’m not happy with it.”
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