KEITH ROSSITER WAS was in a mood to unload immediately after Wexford’s Leinster Round 2 hurling defeat to Dublin.
A win, which Wexford were installed as favourites to collect, would have set them up nicely for this weekend’s trip to Salthill.
Instead, they were suckered by a mixture of Dublin’s greater athleticism and tactical prowess, the ghost goal decision and, ultimately, Dublin’s scoring efficiency.
Suddenly, the prospect of having to secure a result against Galway at Pearse Stadium this Saturday just to stay in the top-three race materialised. Even at this early stage, it is a season-defining fixture as the losers will have taken just two points from a possible six.
Which is why Rossiter’s dark mood was clear as he stood at the side of the Parnell Park clubhouse after the, at times, chaotic Dublin game.
Everybody and everything got a little bit of his fury, from referee Michael Kennedy, to the Wexford players, to the hosts for the state of the discoloured and damaged pitch.
Ultimately, as Rossiter concluded, Wexford “have to get back going again in Salthill.”
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Wexford manager Keith Rossiter. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The stakes are probably even higher for Galway who will be on the brink of failing to make it out of Leinster for the third time in six instalments of the round robin series if they don’t win. Remember, they have yet to travel to Parnell Park themselves, a final round fixture that tripped them up and cost them knock-out hurling in 2019.
For a county of Galway’s stature, coming up short again, particularly in the first year of Micheal Donoghue’s second coming, would be a significant blow. They’ve never failed to get out of Leinster two years in a row.
They’re talking bullishly in Wexford about piling on the misery too. Speaking on the latest edition of The Wexford Hurling Podcast, former defender Richie Kehoe sounded a remarkably positive note about their chances of winning out west. He doesn’t just hope it will happen, he expects it.
“I’m so confident about this, it’s not even funny,” said Kehoe who painted the picture of a sluggish Galway defence struggling to contain Wexford’s livewire forwards and running game.
“I think from two to seven in the Galway team that they have absolutely no pace in their backs.”
Injury plagued full-forward Conor McDonald didn’t feature against Dublin or Antrim, and missed the entire league, but there is hope that he may return this weekend.
“This is a defining game for us this year,” continued Kehoe, underlining the stakes.
“We have to go with our best. I know Mac hasn’t played a whole lot, I know Liam Ryan has only played bits and pieces, he hasn’t been around but we have to go with our best.”
Wexford manager Conor McDonald. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The word Kehoe kept coming back to when describing how Galway can be beaten was with ‘legs’.
“There’s a couple of ways we could play it but I would be going at these with legs, big time, massively,” he said.
“I think we can turn them over no problem (but) we have to be up in their faces, like Dublin. We have to play nearly like how Dublin did.”
Jack O’Connor is available again after suspension too, further enhancing Wexford’s forward options.
Kehoe did acknowledge that Wexford’s defence has been ‘mugged’ too often for easy scores in the ties so far against Antrim, who hit 0-21, and Dublin, who registered 3-26.
It is here that Galway will feel they can make particular gains. Cathal Mannion only returned for the second last game of Galway’s league campaign but has reeled off 0-7, 0-5, 0-10 and 2-8 tallies. Conor Whelan, admittedly not at his best, carries the potential to devastate.
Donoghue, yet to pull any sort of tactical rabbit from the hat since returning as Galway manager, could gamble with a big man close to Wexford’s goal too, and ask him to do pretty much what towering Dublin target man John Hetherton did last Saturday week.
Galway manager Micheál Donoghue. Andrew Paton / INPHO
Andrew Paton / INPHO / INPHO
Kehoe’s take on that one is that Wexford aren’t necessarily dodgy under the high ball, they were just dodgy that evening against Dublin.
All of which lends to the absolute sense of anything-could-happen about this fixture.
This, after all, is the same Galway that went through 40 different players in the league, the only county across the two top flight divisions to do so. Clearly there are all sorts of options open to Donoghue. Conor Cooney for full-forward anyone, a la Hetherton?
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The really exciting thing is that when Wexford simply must deliver, they often do. Like losing to Antrim last year and beating Galway a week later. Or beating Kilkenny in 2023 a week after losing to Westmeath. It is at once their endearing charm and enduring frustration.
“That’s the biggest head scratcher ever in Wexford for the last number of years,” said Larry O’Gorman, another former Wexford player, of their ruins to riches tendencies.
“When our backs are to the wall, we are able to answer the call.”
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'This is a defining game for us' - Wexford and Galway head for Salthill showdown
KEITH ROSSITER WAS was in a mood to unload immediately after Wexford’s Leinster Round 2 hurling defeat to Dublin.
A win, which Wexford were installed as favourites to collect, would have set them up nicely for this weekend’s trip to Salthill.
Instead, they were suckered by a mixture of Dublin’s greater athleticism and tactical prowess, the ghost goal decision and, ultimately, Dublin’s scoring efficiency.
Suddenly, the prospect of having to secure a result against Galway at Pearse Stadium this Saturday just to stay in the top-three race materialised. Even at this early stage, it is a season-defining fixture as the losers will have taken just two points from a possible six.
Which is why Rossiter’s dark mood was clear as he stood at the side of the Parnell Park clubhouse after the, at times, chaotic Dublin game.
Everybody and everything got a little bit of his fury, from referee Michael Kennedy, to the Wexford players, to the hosts for the state of the discoloured and damaged pitch.
Ultimately, as Rossiter concluded, Wexford “have to get back going again in Salthill.”
The stakes are probably even higher for Galway who will be on the brink of failing to make it out of Leinster for the third time in six instalments of the round robin series if they don’t win. Remember, they have yet to travel to Parnell Park themselves, a final round fixture that tripped them up and cost them knock-out hurling in 2019.
For a county of Galway’s stature, coming up short again, particularly in the first year of Micheal Donoghue’s second coming, would be a significant blow. They’ve never failed to get out of Leinster two years in a row.
They’re talking bullishly in Wexford about piling on the misery too. Speaking on the latest edition of The Wexford Hurling Podcast, former defender Richie Kehoe sounded a remarkably positive note about their chances of winning out west. He doesn’t just hope it will happen, he expects it.
“I’m so confident about this, it’s not even funny,” said Kehoe who painted the picture of a sluggish Galway defence struggling to contain Wexford’s livewire forwards and running game.
“I think from two to seven in the Galway team that they have absolutely no pace in their backs.”
Injury plagued full-forward Conor McDonald didn’t feature against Dublin or Antrim, and missed the entire league, but there is hope that he may return this weekend.
“This is a defining game for us this year,” continued Kehoe, underlining the stakes.
“We have to go with our best. I know Mac hasn’t played a whole lot, I know Liam Ryan has only played bits and pieces, he hasn’t been around but we have to go with our best.”
The word Kehoe kept coming back to when describing how Galway can be beaten was with ‘legs’.
“There’s a couple of ways we could play it but I would be going at these with legs, big time, massively,” he said.
“I think we can turn them over no problem (but) we have to be up in their faces, like Dublin. We have to play nearly like how Dublin did.”
Jack O’Connor is available again after suspension too, further enhancing Wexford’s forward options.
Kehoe did acknowledge that Wexford’s defence has been ‘mugged’ too often for easy scores in the ties so far against Antrim, who hit 0-21, and Dublin, who registered 3-26.
It is here that Galway will feel they can make particular gains. Cathal Mannion only returned for the second last game of Galway’s league campaign but has reeled off 0-7, 0-5, 0-10 and 2-8 tallies. Conor Whelan, admittedly not at his best, carries the potential to devastate.
Donoghue, yet to pull any sort of tactical rabbit from the hat since returning as Galway manager, could gamble with a big man close to Wexford’s goal too, and ask him to do pretty much what towering Dublin target man John Hetherton did last Saturday week.
Kehoe’s take on that one is that Wexford aren’t necessarily dodgy under the high ball, they were just dodgy that evening against Dublin.
All of which lends to the absolute sense of anything-could-happen about this fixture.
This, after all, is the same Galway that went through 40 different players in the league, the only county across the two top flight divisions to do so. Clearly there are all sorts of options open to Donoghue. Conor Cooney for full-forward anyone, a la Hetherton?
The really exciting thing is that when Wexford simply must deliver, they often do. Like losing to Antrim last year and beating Galway a week later. Or beating Kilkenny in 2023 a week after losing to Westmeath. It is at once their endearing charm and enduring frustration.
“That’s the biggest head scratcher ever in Wexford for the last number of years,” said Larry O’Gorman, another former Wexford player, of their ruins to riches tendencies.
“When our backs are to the wall, we are able to answer the call.”
They’ll need that again on Saturday night.
*****
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