Bryson (Wexford) - Posts: 43 - 16/05/2026 23:30:53    2673431

Bryson (Wexford) - Posts: 43 - 16/05/2026 23:34:17    2673432

It's hardly even a new low? Pathetic second half performance. If there's a positive let's hear it

Timbertony (Wexford) - Posts: 575 - 16/05/2026 23:54:17    2673436

As regards this evening, injuries in particular Carley and Jippo didn't help and when we went down to 14 men it felt like the writing was on the wall.

Overall, every year post Davy has been another step further back away from the pack rather than a step forward, and a campaign this poor this felt like it was coming down the road. There's been at least one if not two pretty harrowing results in each of those seasons since to back that up also, and retired players in that time haven't been replaced. Cant be sugarcoated either, in these 4 years, we've had two championship wins of note which both came on the back of disastrous performances vs Joe Mc calibre teams.

Putting it bluntly and don't think I'm being overly negative - god knows where it goes from here next year and beyond, and the knock on affect this has on hurling in the county, this really feels like we're slipping if not already slipped back in to the dog days of 15 years ago, there'll be no quick fixes to our issues either as Offaly showed.

OpenStandWall (Wexford) - Posts: 358 - 17/05/2026 00:14:16    2673438

God that was depressing. Think we need fresh ideas at the top.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19612 - 17/05/2026 09:04:15    2673455

Well, to be blunt lads the year turned out as some of us expected and called. Beat Kildare, stay up.
But the most disappointing thing, as somebody who only saw the Dublin and Kilkenny game and highlights after that, is the lack of fight for the jersey. At times it looked like we were a Junior D team fulfilling a fixture to avoid a fine.
I'm slow to criticise players, they are all that made themselves available. (Who would I be to be critical of players opting out when I am living in Australia although about to move home)
But how could you train all winter and spring and not be willing to leave everything out there?
But we need to stare things in the face. Our underage results when we play the top counties is desperate. Don't care who we beat in the groups, or how we hammered Laois or whoever. What happened when the chips were down? That's when you find out what you got in every player.
We might have 3 schools in schools A senior hurling but how good are they? Kildare are competing for the Liam McCarthy cup as well. Doesn't make them contenders. We need hurling to become the focus in schools, every school has lunch-time and most parents would support a 1hr after school training a couple of days a week if the coaching was good.
But as my father said, those who have all the answers and lots to say are "too busy" when asked to go for a job or take over a team. Lots of parents view hurling as a 2-3 evening babysitting service, the hurl never leaves the boot of the car in between. Just don't ask them to help.
We need hurling to become "cool" in Wexford. Charging children in to games is a backward step when the game desperately needs promotion. Far from charging them in, we should be giving them free tickets in school. Next year, why don't our county board send a video to every school and ask the teachers to play it for the children, imagine Lee Chin popping up in every classroom in Wexford on a Friday afternoon asking for support for the team on Saturday, and here are free entry tickets. We need to get creative because we're in a doom spiral at the moment.
My father goes to most games, but says it has become so unenjoyable and a boring evening out. Fair play to those who are keeping the faith. But if we get to a Leinster Final, 60k will go and say what great supporters Wexford have. Alas, it doesn't look likely.
A winter of soul ahead.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2050 - 17/05/2026 09:48:25    2673462

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2050 - 17/05/2026 09:53:32    2673463

The journey home from Tullamore after a game like that felt never ending. The forced changes as a result of injuries didn't get the outcome but to perform how we did in the second half regardless of the wind was an utter shambles.

Do we feel that other than Galway next week we've seen the last of Mark Fanning, Liam Ryan, Simon Donohoe, Kevin Foley, Jack O'Connor & Lee Chin. Those men have given alot to the County over the years and will a new manager be able to get those guys to stay on board or will 2027 be another overhaul and rebuilding work.

Troy069 (Wexford) - Posts: 2 - 17/05/2026 09:57:01    2673465

Hard to believe that Martins went as far as they did when you watch Wexford, granted that ye don't Rory O'Connor and a couple of others, but you wouldn't think the gap would be that big.

ColmFlaherty (Galway) - Posts: 43 - 17/05/2026 10:27:14    2673472

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4513 - 17/05/2026 10:37:34    2673475

Narrowly beating Antrim, who have subsequently underperformed all year amid question-marks over Davy.

Embarrasingly on the brink of a historic defeat to Down before pulling it out of the fire.

Made sweat for passages against Carlow, pulled away in fourth quarter.

Very good display in Croker against Dublin to be fair.

Abject first half against Clare, better after the break but damage already done.

Dead-rubber against Kildare in league, followed by them sticking to us for 3/4s of the match in the championship. Dublin, Galway and Kilkenny had no such prolonged struggles against them.

Horrow-show against Kilkenny and Dublin.

Fell apart in the second half yesterday, pock-marked by ill-discipline.

We were actually fitter during the league than we are now which is shocking. We are arguably more mentally fragile now since Bernard Dunne came on board which is crazy.

Has there been any player that has objectively improved under Rossi? Roche was a revelation during the league but nowhere near as stand-out in the championship. Kevin Foley has arguably been our most consistent performer during this slate of games, but he'd be like that under any manager. Banville maybe has become an adequate inter-county hurler. Carley was better yesterday but why did it take it this long to try him in a position better suited to him?

I take no pride in saying this, but it has arguably been our worst ever year, and it points to a change of management being needed. I'd be looking at either Jason Ryan or Derek McGrath as they'd both know how to motivate and eke the most out of what is there and are system-based managers which is what we need. JJ Doyle in some capacity too as it appears Skippy doesn't want it.

beano (Wexford) - Posts: 1560 - 17/05/2026 10:42:44    2673477

Most frustrating thing about the game is that Offaly only really hurled for 20 minutes

Difference was that they hit about 1-08 in those 20 minutes to our 1-01, we on the other hand did not take advantage when we had the upper hand in the game, the number of wides we had in the first half and then the frees we gave away and the cards we got gave them a hold in the game that they shouldn't have had

Last week, we gave away poor goals against the wind and then hit some bad wides with the wind so we were too far back even when we started to hurl, this week was a case of wides and indiscipline with the wind leaving them in the game so that when they started to hurl, they were already ahead

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1240 - 17/05/2026 11:27:05    2673486

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1240 - 17/05/2026 11:28:35    2673488

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1240 - 17/05/2026 11:30:51    2673489

Apart from Rossiter what is the rest of the management team this year? Google no help.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2050 - 17/05/2026 11:41:37    2673491

Unfortunately, I don't think Chin is quite the same player he used to be, still a good player and no player has contributed more to Wexford hurling for such little reward but teams have been able to get a grip on him this year whereas previously, he was impossible to mark

Jippo has been a great servant to Wexford hurling as well and had been good in his starts this year but that's another campaign ended by injury and you wouldn't blame him for retiring, he owes us nothing and was giving us a dig out by even coming back

Fanning made a great save yesterday, has been another good servant, not going to say that he's without his faults, biggest problem right now is I'm not sure who replaces him as Lawlor is in Australia and I don't know whether Duggan would come back, we haven't managed that situation well in recent years

Jacko was always a very good club hurler but has blown hot and cold at county level, offers us size but he'll be 33 next year and it's hard to imagine he's suddenly going to stop blowing hot and cold

Simon Donohoe another good servant and a hardy buck who maybe never got the credit he deserved

Kevin Foley another great servant although I feel like having him and Simon Roche in the same team makes the other one a bit redundant as they are a bit too similar IMO, very good technical hurlers and smart but on the small side and not going to break away from someone with their speed

Shane Reck a top-class corner-back when fit but a bit like Jippo, he's missed a lot of games in the last few years, don't know whether he stays on

Would guess Damien Reck and Conor Hearne stay on

Chin the biggest loss and Jippo the next one after him, we didn't do a good job in the league at developing a new full-back so that's something we'll have to work on next year, the others have been good hurlers for Wexford but aren't irreplaceable at the same time, problem is the number of young, inexperienced players we'd have to blood in next year if those lads step away, hard to make progress when there's so much churn in a squad

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1240 - 17/05/2026 11:41:50    2673492

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1656 - 17/05/2026 11:54:09    2673495

beano (Wexford) - Posts: 1560 - 17/05/2026 12:23:10    2673500

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1240 - 17/05/2026 12:40:52    2673504

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1240 - 17/05/2026 12:44:09    2673505