Dubs defeat Minors for second time to end Leinster title bid

THERE WAS disappointment for Wexford in Parnell Park on Saturday as hosts Dublin advanced to the Electric Ireland Leinster Minor hurling championship final.

Michael Jacob’s charges gave as good as they got in this game but credit to the home side as, when things got tight and tense in the final quarter, they held their nerve to outscore Wexford by 0-7 to 0-1 to advance to the decider.

It’s not that Wexford didn’t have chances in the latter stages, and they even fell to the lads you’d want in that position, but it was just one of those afternoons when matters didn’t go to plan when you need them most.

Despite the defeat, Wexford retain interest in the newly-structured All-Ireland series. There’s obviously some improvement that needs to be found in the coming weeks to go deep into that competition, but there’s certainly talent here to find the few extra per cent required.

The early stages were tight and tense, with neither side able to really grab a scrappy game by the scruff of the neck. Wexford got the first score on the board when Seán O’Brien converted a free after the hosts were penalised for overcarrying.

That was the only point of the opening ten minutes but was added to by Kevin O’Mahony as things started to settle down. The home side had a bright four minutes, doing considerable damage to the visitors’ hopes.

Rory Flannery kick-started the run with a pair of frees to level things up before Fiachra Codd put the Dubs ahead.

A sloppy goal to concede, a long ball that fell in the square and was scrambled over the line by Darragh Kilduff, made it 1-3 to 0-2 after the opening quarter.

Kilduff slotted a point to give the hosts a game-high advantage of five before scores from Colin Carley and O’Brien were countered at the other end (1-6 to 0-4).

However, Wexford had a powerful finish to the half, starting when O’Brien rattled the net from a Darren Rossiter assist.

Moments after O’Brien pointed, roles were reversed with the Rathgarogue-Cushinstown lad sending Rossiter away to give Wexford a 2-5 to 1-7 interval advantage.

Much of the third quarter proved to be nip-and-tuck, with points from Flannery (two) and Eoghan Brennan countered by Carley and O’Brien to leave the sides tied after 44 minutes (2-7 to 1-10).

Wexford appeared to grab statement scores, two O’Brien frees, to take a two-point lead for the first time since the eleventh minute (2-9 to 1-10).

O’Brien drilled narrowly wide as his side looked for the killer blow, but Dublin responded to level through a Flannery brace.

Now the hosts had momentum and soon after O’Brien’s free came off the upright, Oscar Brennan put Dublin ahead. Kilduff made it 1-14 to 2-9, only for substitute Jamie Kennedy to nab a fantastic point.

Wexford continued to press looking for scores but they came far easier at the other end, with late points from Kilduff, Senan Bolger and Flannery seeing the Metropolitans safely into the decider against Kilkenny.

The Slaneysiders will face Cork in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final this coming Saturday.

Wexford: Paddy Quigley (Bannow-Ballymitty); Ian Reilly (Rathnure), Eoin Hughes (Ballynastragh Gaels), Paddy Keavey (Ballygarrett); Cathal Sinnott (Glynn-Barntown), Ryan Donohoe (Rapparees), Jack Nolan (Oylegate-Glenbrien); Jack Dunne (Oulart-The Ballagh, capt.), Kevin O’Mahony (St. Martin’s, 0-1); Conor Fanning (Liam Mellows), Ciarán Gethings (Ballynastragh Gaels), Seán Hyland (Rapparees); Colin Carley (Glynn-Barntown, 0-2), Seán O’Brien (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, 1-6, 0-6 frees), Darren Rossiter (Gusserane, 1-0). Subs. - Oisín Moore (Oulart-The Ballagh) for O’Mahony (53), Jamie Kennedy (Naomh Éanna, 0-1) for Rossiter (54), Jack Gethings (Ballynastragh Gaels) for Hyland (57), Rhys Wickham (Oulart-The Ballagh) for Fanning (58), also Martin Dempsey (Oulart-The Ballagh), Ben Harpur (Oulart-The Ballagh), Adam O’Connell-Byrne (Askamore), Peter Wickham (Oulart-The Ballagh), Bobby Murphy (Bannow-Ballymitty).

Dublin: Pádraigh Ryan; Rory Duffy, Shane Dunphy, Mark Byrne; Conor Quinn, Cathal O’Flynn, Tommy Cullen; Fiachra Codd (0-1), James Norris; Eoghan Brennan (0-1), Rory Flannery (0-9, 8 frees), Tom Higgins; Killian Costello (0-1), Cathal Barrett, Darragh Kilduff (1-3). Subs. - Senan Bolger (0-1) for Barrett (31), Fionn Daly for Higgins (40), Oscar Brennan (0-1) for E. Brennan (47), Ben O’Mahony for Quinn (53), Adam Ryan for Codd (63).

Referee: Owen Beehan (Kilkenny).