FOR FULL MATCH REPORT
Step too far for Wexford as Cody’s side refuse to lie down
KILKENNY 0-22 WEXFORD 1-18
IT’S becoming hard to remember what the Hurling Championship was like before the round-robin.
Another weekend, another rollercoaster ride, this time Kilkenny following Tipperary’s lead in Munster to stage a storming comeback and win a thriller.
From nine points down early in the second half, TJ Reid helped to orchestrate a stunning comeback that left the Wexford players in shock at the final whistle, many falling to their knees in despair.
Whether Wexford’s punishing schedule of four games in 21 days finally caught up with them or not, Kilkenny’s bench played a big part in swinging this one around, Richie Leahy and John Donnelly hitting a brace of important scores apiece. Padraig Walsh was another to shine as Kilkenny completed a remarkable comeback, one that looked so unlikely after a first half that Wexford dominated.
With Galway waiting in the wings in the Leinster final, looking untouchable, this round five fixture was effectively a semi-final and the reaction of those Wexford players made a mockery of those who suggested the prize was a dubious one.
The back door beckons for Davy Fitzgerald’s team, who will play one of the Joe McDonagh Cup finalists, Westmeath or Carlow, in a preliminary quarter-final in a month’s time.
Goalkeeper Eoin Murphy’s whopping strike of a deadball makes him an offensive force and he bombed over a free in line with his own ‘D’ to level things up at three points apiece.
The best early score belonged to Conor McDonald who stumbled under pressure from Padraig Walsh, found his feet again, and unable to catch the sliotar a second time, fired it over the bar off his stick.
Rory O’Connor continued to show why he is one of the most exciting talents in the game, sticking an early point, following it up with a free from long range and then showing serious acceleration to change his line of running and boom another point.
Wexford’s goal came in the 28th minute. Lee Chin won a ruck ball and as referee James McGrath put his arm up for advantage, the Wex- Kilkenny were a massive nine points down early in the second half before TJ Reid inspired a comeback ford player threw the ball out to David Dunne running on a burst off his shoulder. Dunne broke the tackle, drew the last man and handpassed across to Paul Morris who doubled first time to the net in some style. From level pegging, in the space of 10 minutes, Wexford raced 1-10 to 0-5 ahead.
Wexford’s set-up is an open secret at this stage with Shaun Murphy dropping back as sweeper and Conor McDonald and Paul Morris the lead men in a two-man inside line but they were unnerving Kilkenny with the dizzying manner in which they were switching the play from wing-to-wing and picking off scores from the middle third. Diarmuid O’Keeffe for example ran a line to take a quick puck-out and score while Rory O’Connor grabbed his fourth point after a slick crossfield ball found Paudie Foley who in turn found his roving number 14.
A brace of TJ Reid frees ended Wexford’s scoring blitz but the harsh reality is that the half ended without a Kilkenny forward scoring from play. Of their seven points, the only points from play came from midfielders Conor Fogarty and James Maher.
In contrast, Wexford had seven different scorers.
After whipping Colin Fennelly, Richie Hogan and Conor O’Shea at half-time, Kilkenny at least corrected that blot on their copybook
early in the second half when Reid split the posts. This, after Wexford pinged early points from Paudie Foley and Chin to stretch their lead to nine points.
Reid’s response though was part of a home town comeback, the same player exerting his influence more minute by minute. When Padraig Walsh raced from defence to stick over an inspirational score, the connection to the crowd was just like when his brother Tommy was in full flight.
For the first time in the game, Wexford couldn’t get hands on the sliotar as Kilkenny found a new level of intensity. Buried under a black and amber tide, Wexford conceded seven on the bounce to leave just two in it, 1-13 to 0-14 heading for the threequarter point.
The turnaround was remarkable. Led by the peerless Reid, it also hinged on a serious contribution from the bench. John Donnelly hit two clutch points, Richie Leahy the same including a crowd-lifter from the left sideline, and when Joey Holden – a former All Star full-back in disguise – clipped one, it showed how Kilkenny were rampant.
Paudie Foley did his best to keep Wexford in it with a string of long range frees which meant that it went right down to the last ball in the third minute of added time.
An equaliser would have sent Wexford through to the Leinster final by virtue of superior score difference but when Mark Fanning’s free broke, it fell to a Kilkenny shirt.