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Wexford Clubs In The Leinster Club Hurling Championship

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Replying To beano:  "The key difference though is while both Ferns and St.Mullins had a five-game group stage, the structure of Carlow's championship meant that they went straight into a semi-final (only 6 senior teams in total). They could even afford to lose their last two group games as qualification was already assured. Ferns didn't have such a luxury.

I don't know whether Carlow's games were week on week, but playing a game less to win a championship is less taxing in any man's book. You have to remember too that Wexford's first two rounds were played Tues-Sun, while Ferns also played their QF on a bank holiday Monday and turned around to their semi on a Saturday I think. Then went straight into football (albeit with one hurling session a week).

Not using it as an excuse, but its no coincidence that our senior champions have fallen at the first hurdle two years in a row now in the same time-frame that our hurling championship has been played off first. The standard can't have fallen off that dramatically so quickly, so it has to be a structural issue.

Anyway, best of luck to St.Mullins' in the semi. They have the talent to make a Leinster final, so I hope they deck out Croker."
Is the standard in Wexford club hurling that good?
I'd suggest it's very competitive but the standard may not be as good as portrayed by some people.
Similar to the football championships competitive but the standard would be 7/10 maybe?

hurlorhurley (Wexford) - Posts: 1660 - 14/11/2022 12:27:33    2447506

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Replying To hurlorhurley:  "If Ferns had of gone into the game on the back of a weeks richly deserved celebrating, I still think they would have been very close with St Mullins.
Dare I say while the Wexford club championships are hugely competitive is the standard that good?
Where would Ferns rank out of all the teams in the All Ireland club championships for 2022?
They achieved their goal for 2022 winning the county championship. I'm sure they will lose little if any sleep over yesterday"
The wexford championship is highly competitive but as an overall standard its probably not hectic. I'd have the average wexford club hurler at probably a lower standard than in say Limerick, Kilkenny, Tipp, Galway and maybe Cork to a much smaller extent. Take out Ballygunner from Waterford and the standard in Waterford is probably of a similar level to Wexford, Dublin, Clare. I don't think there's a single team in Wexfod who'd be close to the top 4 or 5 clubs in Ireland not to mind 3/4 who'd compete strongly in Leinster. St Martin's with everyone playing are probably the closest we'd have but they just can't seem to get everything in a row, thought they'd kick on after winning a couple in 2017/18 but just seem to always be down a few or lacking something. We just don't have the playing population to be consistently competing at club level, had a great club scene in the 70s/80s/90s and was probably one of the best in Ireland. It always gives a good boost to the club championship when clubs from the county are doing well, adds that bit more interest and showcase (could be very off in saying that but that how I see it)

Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin (Wexford) - Posts: 268 - 14/11/2022 12:40:56    2447507

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Replying To Mayonman:  "Clubs have to take responsibility for their supporters member or not. Not just in GAA but in all games.

Shamrock Rovers fans fired a flare at opposition supporters and they made the same argument as above. They got away with it too which was wrong.

Harsh as it is clubs must be punished. Then supporters might start thinking before they act because their own team will suffer.

There is an element in society at the moment that thinks it's ok to abuse people just because they hold different opinions. All you need to do is look on this or any other message board. A small number of ****bags caused trouble before the fai cup final also.

Clubs need to weed these people out, stop circling the wagons and appealing everything

It sickened me to see some of the reaction to the scenes in Parnell Park. Describing it as a rare occurrence .....sorry but it is not that rare. Or other supporters having a dig at soccer ........ most of our kids play all sports. It is the same parents dropping off at all training sessions. We need to stopping accepting that it is ok to abuse people.

We as club members need to suspend our own, tell them that they are not welcome if they behave like that."
I'm not disputing that action needs to be taken against such "supporters". What I'm saying is that even if you hit clubs with huge fines, and the clubs tell those people that they won't have them as members and don't want them going to matches, the club still can't actually stop those people from buying tickets and going to matches anyway.

Also think it's unlikely that if such a person ever gets so riled up at a match again, that they'll instead think twice and decide "oh, better behave myself, or else the club will be fined thousands of euro again".....that money wouldn't be coming out of their own pocket, and they may well believe that "the GAA has plenty of money anyway".

I see there was some crowd trouble at the FAI Cup Final yesterday too. Both those clubs might be sanctioned as well. But so long as tickets go on public sale for any other match they play in future, how exactly are they supposed to stop such people from buying them?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2254 - 14/11/2022 13:09:22    2447511

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Replying To Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin:  "The wexford championship is highly competitive but as an overall standard its probably not hectic. I'd have the average wexford club hurler at probably a lower standard than in say Limerick, Kilkenny, Tipp, Galway and maybe Cork to a much smaller extent. Take out Ballygunner from Waterford and the standard in Waterford is probably of a similar level to Wexford, Dublin, Clare. I don't think there's a single team in Wexfod who'd be close to the top 4 or 5 clubs in Ireland not to mind 3/4 who'd compete strongly in Leinster. St Martin's with everyone playing are probably the closest we'd have but they just can't seem to get everything in a row, thought they'd kick on after winning a couple in 2017/18 but just seem to always be down a few or lacking something. We just don't have the playing population to be consistently competing at club level, had a great club scene in the 70s/80s/90s and was probably one of the best in Ireland. It always gives a good boost to the club championship when clubs from the county are doing well, adds that bit more interest and showcase (could be very off in saying that but that how I see it)"
That's an interesting question. Kilkenny and Galway are arguably the only counties where the county winners are always capable of winning All Ireland. Certainly Leinster in case of Cats. Wexford were in that category back in the day.

You can of course have great clubs without it making much of a difference to the rest, or even to the standard of county team - Antrim and Carlow spring to mind. Likewise, a county like Tipp that seldom produces teams of All Ireland quality is always a contender. Hard to argue that Dublin county team was any better since Cuala's triumphs. Reverse maybe.

Cuala have arguably raised the standard in Dublin but current Crokes would never have beaten them at their best and Crokes haven't a hope of winning All Ireland. Being doing well to reach Leinster final.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2584 - 14/11/2022 13:11:37    2447512

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Replying To Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin:  "The wexford championship is highly competitive but as an overall standard its probably not hectic. I'd have the average wexford club hurler at probably a lower standard than in say Limerick, Kilkenny, Tipp, Galway and maybe Cork to a much smaller extent. Take out Ballygunner from Waterford and the standard in Waterford is probably of a similar level to Wexford, Dublin, Clare. I don't think there's a single team in Wexfod who'd be close to the top 4 or 5 clubs in Ireland not to mind 3/4 who'd compete strongly in Leinster. St Martin's with everyone playing are probably the closest we'd have but they just can't seem to get everything in a row, thought they'd kick on after winning a couple in 2017/18 but just seem to always be down a few or lacking something. We just don't have the playing population to be consistently competing at club level, had a great club scene in the 70s/80s/90s and was probably one of the best in Ireland. It always gives a good boost to the club championship when clubs from the county are doing well, adds that bit more interest and showcase (could be very off in saying that but that how I see it)"
Not picking your post out specifically but there's a lot of nonsense about standard of clubs and other counties championships on this thread. Half our 6 teams are still in Leinster. Seeing as half the teams are gone from the 6 competitions isn't 3 of our teams left not what should be left by law of averages?
All the teams in every grade are going to be top teams in their grade regardless of 5he status of that counties senior inter-county team. Or they would be playing in the grade below. Carlow champions play in the Leinster Senior club championship because their teams have earned that right. Kildares champions Naas likewise this year. If the Meath team that beat the Kilkenny team win at Intermediate then they will have earned the right for next year's Meath champions to play in the Senior championship. It smacks of arrogance that Wexford people on this assumed Oulart and Ferns should have won Saturday because they were playing opponents from Carlow and Dublin.
One reason for Wexfords perceived lack of Senior success that hasn't been brought up yet is the large number of clubs we have relative to our playing population. But I still think the main reason is that most of our clubs are dual clubs and most of our players are dual players. How many of Ballyhales or Ballygunners, or even St Mullins, players played 6 high intensity championship football games in the last couple of months for example? And train appropriately for them? Very few I'd be guessing.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12057 - 14/11/2022 14:09:23    2447526

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Replying To Oldtourman:  "Look, you have badly focused camera work, taken from behind the backs of the culprits, which probably makes it almost impossible to positively identify the participants in this scuffle or do any of them seem to be even wearing their own club colours. Players do not seem to be seriously involved apart from minor pushing and shoving, so how can the Referees Report be in any way conclusive in this situation. I cannot see that himself or his fellow officials succeeded in getting the names of the main offenders in this incident. There may be minor fines given out, but overall this a non story."
I just watched a meme a friend sent to me of Johnny Giles flattening Kevin Keegan with a box in an off the ball incident. For which incidentally he only got a yellow card. I remember going to games in various different sports since the 70s during which there was violence and fighting on and off the pitch. I'm not belittling what happened up in Dublin, or condoning it in any way, but is it a case we over react to violence these days not because there is more of it but because there is so much more coverage of it? I'm replying to your post on the subject OTM because I want to know were there ever incidents like this back in the 50s and 60s before I was going to games?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12057 - 14/11/2022 14:15:52    2447528

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Replying To ElGranSenor:  "I see we have former Carlow hurler, Pat Coady, tweeting out the following after yesterday's game:

"They (St Mullins) get unreal hardship and just pick themselves up and go again. Leaders all over the field. Opposition more interested in mouthing and trying to get in lads faces half the time today. Love seeing that kind of carry on get its just desserts."

No disputing that some of Ferns's players were/are mouthy but I find remarks such as the one above to be highly disingenuous and are a big cultural issue with the GAA. Too many people believe that their team can never do anything wrong and that the opposition are always in the wrong and that the referee is therefore biased against their team. Insinuating that St Mullins are a cleaner and more upstanding team than Ferns is all well and good until you realise that their goalscorer absolutely screamed his head off at Patrick Breen after scoring St Mullins's goal. Again, not saying that Ferns don't have their own issues but the above tweet is highly disingenuous."
From my own experience of seeing Ferns in the flesh the fact is hes not wrong!!.

Surely the actual act of goading the opposition is a bigger cultural issues than actually pointing out that a team are going out of their way to goad their opposition.

It seems you have a bigger issue with the tweet than the actual act of goading itself.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1351 - 14/11/2022 15:07:26    2447533

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Replying To Viking66:  "Not picking your post out specifically but there's a lot of nonsense about standard of clubs and other counties championships on this thread. Half our 6 teams are still in Leinster. Seeing as half the teams are gone from the 6 competitions isn't 3 of our teams left not what should be left by law of averages?
All the teams in every grade are going to be top teams in their grade regardless of 5he status of that counties senior inter-county team. Or they would be playing in the grade below. Carlow champions play in the Leinster Senior club championship because their teams have earned that right. Kildares champions Naas likewise this year. If the Meath team that beat the Kilkenny team win at Intermediate then they will have earned the right for next year's Meath champions to play in the Senior championship. It smacks of arrogance that Wexford people on this assumed Oulart and Ferns should have won Saturday because they were playing opponents from Carlow and Dublin.
One reason for Wexfords perceived lack of Senior success that hasn't been brought up yet is the large number of clubs we have relative to our playing population. But I still think the main reason is that most of our clubs are dual clubs and most of our players are dual players. How many of Ballyhales or Ballygunners, or even St Mullins, players played 6 high intensity championship football games in the last couple of months for example? And train appropriately for them? Very few I'd be guessing."
I think a lot comes down to us being a lot more hurling orientated in this county, it's the game that people probably care that bit more about. We're a decent Divison 1 team in hurling whereas we've been a poor Divison 4 team for a long time now. I Don't have any particular attachment to football so I might come across a bit cold in my assessment there but it's a county that expects in hurling and hopes in football. Don't want to put down the football in Wexford but it is clear that we operate at higher level in hurling and so have our clubs up until relatively recently so it is a pity when our clubs underperform in our main (maybe "better" or stronger is a more appropriate word there) I don't think anyone was shocked by St Mullins winning to be fair either, they're a quality team with some big wins under their belt, it's more the overall quality of club hurling in Wexford isn't at a particularly high level. Underage County teams performing well over a long period usually has a big impact on the club championship as you'll have lots of good quality hurlers who might not make to senior county level but make very good club hurler hence why the average club hurler in Galway, Tipp, Limerick, Kilkenny will probably be operating at a higher level than the average club hurler in Wexford. Just my take on it, know people won't agree and seems a bit callous but it's something I've noticed when comparing them.

Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin (Wexford) - Posts: 268 - 14/11/2022 15:17:19    2447535

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "Yes. It is not a place I liked visiting although worst experience was not playing, it was with an underage team i was involved in running.

I do think that sanctions ought to be against individuals rather than the club as a whole, on both sides, Players on the field had nothing to do with what happened as far as I can see, or from what I've heard but anyone identified as part of the actual fighting should face some sort of sanction.


There's no excuse for any spectator belting someone."
The only belting that can clearly be seen on the clip is form a man wearing togs and a tracksuit top which would suggest he was a panel member.

Keephimthere (Roscommon) - Posts: 97 - 14/11/2022 15:22:52    2447537

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Replying To tearintom:  "From my own experience of seeing Ferns in the flesh the fact is hes not wrong!!.

Surely the actual act of goading the opposition is a bigger cultural issues than actually pointing out that a team are going out of their way to goad their opposition.

It seems you have a bigger issue with the tweet than the actual act of goading itself."
I dunno. Am sure some of the Ferns players would have certain things to say at certain stages all right, but don't think they'd be any better or worse in this regard than anybody else.

And I'd find it hard to believe that the entire St. Mullins team (or any other team) are perfect upstanding examples of Corinthian sportsmanship throughout every minute of every match they play. I'm sure some Ferns players today could tell you about certain unsportsmanlike things said to them during yesterday's match as well.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2254 - 14/11/2022 15:33:08    2447541

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Replying To Keephimthere:  "The only belting that can clearly be seen on the clip is form a man wearing togs and a tracksuit top which would suggest he was a panel member."
I don't know what you were watching!

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 2584 - 14/11/2022 15:33:34    2447542

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Replying To Keephimthere:  "The only belting that can clearly be seen on the clip is form a man wearing togs and a tracksuit top which would suggest he was a panel member."
And he was 100% right too - stopped a couple and 1 particular NB "supporter" from entering the field of play.

grassroots01 (Wexford) - Posts: 169 - 14/11/2022 15:43:54    2447548

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "I dunno. Am sure some of the Ferns players would have certain things to say at certain stages all right, but don't think they'd be any better or worse in this regard than anybody else.

And I'd find it hard to believe that the entire St. Mullins team (or any other team) are perfect upstanding examples of Corinthian sportsmanship throughout every minute of every match they play. I'm sure some Ferns players today could tell you about certain unsportsmanlike things said to them during yesterday's match as well."
From my own experience yes they are a lot worse than literally any other team our club played this year, by far. Its very deliberate, almost instructed because from memory over the years no it wasnt something they were known for

And to clarify ive no idea what St Mullins are like, could be just as bad.

The point is the original post seemed to take issue with the fact this was mentioned rather than the fact it happened as if mentioning it is a blight on the game.

The act itself is a blight on the game imho and i pretty much guarantee that if it was clamped down on more and punished more severely then we would also see a siginficant drop off in the type of brawls we are seeing in gaa matches across the country also.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1351 - 14/11/2022 15:51:48    2447550

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Replying To Viking66:  "I just watched a meme a friend sent to me of Johnny Giles flattening Kevin Keegan with a box in an off the ball incident. For which incidentally he only got a yellow card. I remember going to games in various different sports since the 70s during which there was violence and fighting on and off the pitch. I'm not belittling what happened up in Dublin, or condoning it in any way, but is it a case we over react to violence these days not because there is more of it but because there is so much more coverage of it? I'm replying to your post on the subject OTM because I want to know were there ever incidents like this back in the 50s and 60s before I was going to games?"
Yes indeed and worse. I remember one year in the sixties where two neighboring clubs fought out a county quarter Final of the Championship. On two days it had to be stopped and only got finished at the third attempt. I attended these games as a boy of 13 and the adults that brought me along were giving out yards about the disgraceful nature of these goings on. Being a precocious youth, I thought twas great gas altogether. I also remember a fairly hefty dust up in 1972, when my own club was involved. Our boys were playing Patrickswell and it was going down to the wire, until PW got a goal, after which the scorer seemed-and I wish to emphasise appeared- to make a crude gesture towards a solid plank of our supporters. They were not best pleased and all hell broke with a good old pitch invasion and the game had to be called off. That game was played in Croom and refixed for the Gaelic Grounds where the 'Well won well. The '37 Cork Junior Hurling Final-before my time- was declared null and void after three attempts were made to play it, but all finished in fairly lively scenes and had to be called off. Our neighbouring parish Meelin were involved and down the decades they are noted for been an exceptionally clean side. We can only assume it was all Castlemartyrs fault.

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4342 - 14/11/2022 16:00:02    2447551

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Replying To Viking66:  "I just watched a meme a friend sent to me of Johnny Giles flattening Kevin Keegan with a box in an off the ball incident. For which incidentally he only got a yellow card. I remember going to games in various different sports since the 70s during which there was violence and fighting on and off the pitch. I'm not belittling what happened up in Dublin, or condoning it in any way, but is it a case we over react to violence these days not because there is more of it but because there is so much more coverage of it? I'm replying to your post on the subject OTM because I want to know were there ever incidents like this back in the 50s and 60s before I was going to games?"
The battle of Ross springs to mind. It was 1963. Cork v Wexford in a league game. I was too young and wasn't at the game but relatives of mine iwho were there said it got pretty rough with players fighting like dogs and lads n the crowd running on to the field and joining. Older folk talk about it still.
Of course in those days there was no TV or camera phones. Referee's were very slow to react for bad fouls and I don't believe they were questioned following a match. If a player was sent off Michael o Heigher would not name the lad sent to the line. Nowadays there is video evidence.for nearly every game. In spite of that the violence continues. The hierarchy in the Gaa will say its got to stop but they know and we know that it will not stop. It would be impossible to find the" fans" who threw fists in the stand n the Oulart match so all that will happen is a fine of some sort for the two clubs, maybe and a couple of suspensions for the two players sent off. A fine would be wrong in my opinion if it was just the crowd and not any of the mentors.
Every sport will always have unsavoury incidents
because local and county rivalry can and will bring out the worst in some people. How do you prevent it from happening? You can't. I would bet that in 100 years time the powers in charge will be asking themselves the same question.

Magpie2 (Wexford) - Posts: 280 - 14/11/2022 16:05:40    2447553

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "I'm not disputing that action needs to be taken against such "supporters". What I'm saying is that even if you hit clubs with huge fines, and the clubs tell those people that they won't have them as members and don't want them going to matches, the club still can't actually stop those people from buying tickets and going to matches anyway.

Also think it's unlikely that if such a person ever gets so riled up at a match again, that they'll instead think twice and decide "oh, better behave myself, or else the club will be fined thousands of euro again".....that money wouldn't be coming out of their own pocket, and they may well believe that "the GAA has plenty of money anyway".

I see there was some crowd trouble at the FAI Cup Final yesterday too. Both those clubs might be sanctioned as well. But so long as tickets go on public sale for any other match they play in future, how exactly are they supposed to stop such people from buying them?"
Maybe it needs to be similar to a restraining order / injunction?
I.e. you cannot go within 100m of a GAA ground? And if you do, you are liable to do jail time?
Might seem excessive but a line in the sand needs to be drawn, and these offences treated with the seriousness of them happening on the street at 3am.

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1138 - 14/11/2022 16:21:30    2447555

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Here's my two pence ... firstly best of luck to St.Mullins and I hope you do well going forward.

As regards the club standard in Wexford, I think it's a fair point to put the Kilkenny/Limerick/Galway/Tip champions + Ballygunner slightly ahead of the club champions of the rest of the hurling counties.
In those remaining counties, including Wexford, Clare, Dublin, Laois, Carlow, Antrim ... you have to be an exceptional team and have a bit of luck to win a provincial title.

On that note, I don't think the timing of Wexford club championship is good if you want to compete in Leinster.
Ferns won their county title 13 weeks ago.
You can play all the practice matches you want, but practically it doesn't simulate that knock out pressure of a tight all or nothing game and lads loose match fitness etc etc
It's a game of inches and a few players off form or injured and you end up loosing a tight game.
Having seen the last 2 years where the Rapps lost to the Laois champions and now Ferns lost to the Carlow champions, I'd like to see the hurling championship played later in the year so as to give the Wexford clubs their best chance.

Punter72007 (Wexford) - Posts: 315 - 14/11/2022 16:32:05    2447561

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Replying To Oldtourman:  "Yes indeed and worse. I remember one year in the sixties where two neighboring clubs fought out a county quarter Final of the Championship. On two days it had to be stopped and only got finished at the third attempt. I attended these games as a boy of 13 and the adults that brought me along were giving out yards about the disgraceful nature of these goings on. Being a precocious youth, I thought twas great gas altogether. I also remember a fairly hefty dust up in 1972, when my own club was involved. Our boys were playing Patrickswell and it was going down to the wire, until PW got a goal, after which the scorer seemed-and I wish to emphasise appeared- to make a crude gesture towards a solid plank of our supporters. They were not best pleased and all hell broke with a good old pitch invasion and the game had to be called off. That game was played in Croom and refixed for the Gaelic Grounds where the 'Well won well. The '37 Cork Junior Hurling Final-before my time- was declared null and void after three attempts were made to play it, but all finished in fairly lively scenes and had to be called off. Our neighbouring parish Meelin were involved and down the decades they are noted for been an exceptionally clean side. We can only assume it was all Castlemartyrs fault."
Great post OTM. Maybe a bit of perspective is needed. And by that I don't mean stuff brushed under the carpet. Just a little less hysteria.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 12057 - 14/11/2022 16:40:38    2447562

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Replying To tearintom:  "From my own experience of seeing Ferns in the flesh the fact is hes not wrong!!.

Surely the actual act of goading the opposition is a bigger cultural issues than actually pointing out that a team are going out of their way to goad their opposition.

It seems you have a bigger issue with the tweet than the actual act of goading itself."
My issue wasn't so much that he said Ferns were a mouthy team, my issue was moreso the insinuation that St Mullins were not guilty of such behaviour. There weren't really any dirty strokes in the match yesterday and there wasn't really any threat of anyone boiling over so his depiction of Ferns as getting their just desserts seems needless and is a bit of a low blow. He could have just praised St Mullins for how well they played but no, let's take a potshot at the opposition despite the fact the St Mullins's goalscorer roared his face off in front of Patrick Breen after scoring the goal. This "Holier Than Thou" shtick and persistent downgrading of the opposition is a waste of time (And this goes beyond yesterday, you'll have fans of different counties on here giving out about rival counties and their sets of fans).

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 273 - 14/11/2022 17:10:09    2447567

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Replying To Oldtourman:  "But maybe it did affect BG, look how long it took them to get the upper hand of NAP, with an apparently better panel."
I thought that myself but wasn't sure since I have only a passing interest in the Munster club championship.
Thanks for posting.

Punter72007 (Wexford) - Posts: 315 - 14/11/2022 17:13:42    2447568

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