STILL IN IT!
Wexford sparkle in survival mode as Cats prepare for ‘The Handshake Part 2’
AFTER an evening of final-round drama in the Leinster hurling championship, Galway and Kilkenny will contest the final at Croke Park on Saturday week.
Prepare for ‘The Handshake, Part II’ as Henry Shefflin once again goes up against his native county and his old manager Brian Cody.
Wexford beat Kilkenny at Nowlan Park in Championship for the first time, and that thrilling 1-22 to 1-18 victory also keeps their season alive and secures a place in a preliminary All-Ireland quarter-final.
They fully deserved it too, Darragh Egan’s side bouncing back from last weekend’s draw against Westmeath to produce a rousing final quarter to seal the deal.
Galway’s 0-27 to 0-21 win over Dublin sent the latter crashing out on score difference, ending a campaign that would have been extended had Kilkenny won.
In the Joe McDonagh Cup, Kerry beat an experimental Antrim at Corrigan Park in Belfast to set up a rematch in the final, Offaly losing out on a final place after their five-point defeat by Carlow in Tullamore.
Meath were relegated to the Christy Ring Cup after they lost 2-28 to 2-19 against Down in Ballycran.
SHADES of 2019 when the Leinster senior hurling championship group went down to the very last ball. Just like then, Kilkenny and Wexford played out a dingdong battle to see who progressed on to the Leinster final or All-Ireland series, just as Dublin and Galway were doing the very same thing.
The only difference this time was that the minute-by-minute dispatches were coming from Nowlan Park and Salthill rather than Wexford Park and Parnell Park.
For all the multitude of permutations at play, Wexford were faced with a simple equation: beat Kilkenny on their home patch or they were gone.
Season over.
That they managed to do that – the historians reckoned it was a first Championship win over Kilkenny at the venue – meant that they deservedly go on. Their only misfortune was to miss out on a Leinster
It was a simple equation, beat the Cats on their own patch or you are gone
final place and head instead to a preliminary quarter-final against the beaten Joe McDonagh Cup finalists – either Kerry or Antrim.
They had heroes all over the field. Like Damien Reck, who managed to keep Kilkenny dangerman Eoin Cody scoreless, rounding off a superbly disciplined display by making a goal-line clearance near the death. Or full-back Liam Ryan, who sent over a monster point into the wind in the second half and threw himself full length to block a late goal effort from Billy Ryan.
Matthew O’Hanlon and Lee Chin came thundering into the game for that final quarter, while substitutes Connal Flood, Mikie Dwyer and Cathal Dunbar all came on to hit vital points, Dwyer producing a mesmerising solo run and point at a critical time.
And, yet, the result from Salthill, with Galway beating Dublin, resulted in a three-way tie in the group with Kilkenny, Wexford and Dublin ending on six points each. By virtue of score difference, Dublin were gone and it was Kilkenny and Galway into the Leinster final.
With a significant breeze in their favour, Wexford pinched a couple of early points before Kilkenny casually rattled off 1-4 without reply.
Mikey Carey has really added pace to the half-back line and he scorched forward for a score and, after TJ Reid pinged a point from play and a free, he set in train the goal in the eighth minute. The Ballyhale number 11 somehow caught a ball amongst a thicket of bodies and laid it off to Cian Kenny. When the latter dipped the shoulder he was clearly fouled, but referee Fergal Horgan played a sensible advantage.
That allowed Reid to take Kenny’s return pass and feed Martin Keoghan, who finished smartly off his stick from close range.
In danger of being submerged, Wexford lifted it and responded in the best fashion. Diarmuid O’Keeffe floated over the second of two longrange scores on the breeze and that kickstarted a run of scoring from the 18th to the 26th minute when Wexford hit five on the bounce to sneak 0-9 to 1-5 ahead.
That one of them came from a booming puck from number two Simon Donohoe showed the strength of the wind, and Rory O’Connor almost slipped in to create a goal only to see a poor handpass to Jack O’Connor go to ground.
A couple of Reid deadballs levelled things before Oisin Foley latched on to a direct long puck-out and produced a clinical low finish to the bottom corner of the net.
Rory O’Connor hit consecutive wides just when Wexford were one ahead but then hit a cracker from near the left sideline before his point attempt in injury time dropped short.
Conor McDonald plucked it from the sky ahead of Conor Delaney and swivelled to rattle a shot at goal that Eoin Murphy showed incredible reflexes to somehow stop.
Reck picking up Cody and keeping him scoreless was one of the key match-ups going Wexford’s way as they led 1-11 to 1-8 at the break.
Kilkenny very quickly had it back to a single point as Chin fielded the ball and stuck over a settling score before Rory O’Connor raised a huge cheer with a lovely angled point from the right sideline.
On the 50-minute mark and still Wexford were protecting that threepoint cushion. Not for the first time in Kilkenny’s history, a bit of inspiration came from a Carey, DJ’s son
Mikey plucking a puck-out from the sky and sending an inspirational point over. Sandwiched between two Reid frees, suddenly it was all level.
At this stage, plenty in the crowd were tuning into Salthill to hear how Galway were beginning to ease away from Dublin, with the group so delicately poised.
Two unnecessary fouls by the Kilkenny defence allowed Chin to ease Wexford two ahead as the match ebbed and flowed in thrilling fashion, Billy Ryan cutting over a sweet sideline before a Reid free levelled it yet again.
Reck picked up a yellow for a foul on Cody to deprive a goal chance on the hour mark before Liam Ryan showed serious leadership to thump over a huge score into the breeze.
Matthew O’Hanlon started becoming more influential – as did Chin – and the impact off the bench was critical, Connal Flood, Mikie Dwyer and Cathal Dunbar all firing over quality scores, Dunbar giving
Wexford a crucial four-point cushion.
Before then, Billy Ryan steadied to strike for goal only for Liam Ryan to throw himself into the path and Reck made that dramatic goal-line intervention.
There was only time for one more Kilkenny goal attempt, Reid hitting a top spin free only for Adrian Mullen to double on the follow up wide.
Wexford and Kilkenny roll on, just in different directions.