tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1477 - 27/04/2024 19:35:48    2540999

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15421 - 27/04/2024 19:44:26    2541000

All sorts a things you could say after that. You'd feel sorry for players and management because they've trained all year to go out and produce a really poor display in a crunch championship game and that's when you are judged, not in a league no other county in our group bothered with. In one week Waterford have beaten Cork and we've lost to Antrim for example.

Two years running now we've failed in the heat of championship against supposedly weaker opposition. Its time to cut a few lads who have been good servants of the county but clearly aren't up to it now. Start new younger lads and if we are beat we are beat but at least we are trying something new and building for the future.

Donoghue , K Foley, Dunbar ,, Liam Og need to be replaced now - they've played 2 games and in my opinion haven't played well. I'd persist with D Reck because he's young and needs to find form. I take him out of CB immediately though.

I'd give Aaron D a go in the goals- Fanning blasting about 8 moon balls to the very same place in the 2nd half would make you dizzy watching it. Start tucker K , Conor Devitt, Daragh Carley and Jack Doran. Cian B was very good and deserves credit so time to give others their go.

The only way is up - a truly abysmal 2 years of championship hurling. Credit to Antrim that meant a lot to them. PS beating a KK team who will have already qualified by the time we play them won't papier over any cracks this time.

OasisorBlur (Wexford) - Posts: 51 - 27/04/2024 19:44:36    2541001

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2714 - 27/04/2024 19:50:02    2541002

We have an awful habit in Wexford of blowing guys up too much too early and then we are very quick to pull the rug from under them at the blink of an eye. We've got a group of players who don't give a toss for Kilkenny. They've beaten them regularly at all ages all the way up. BUT THATS IT! Remember our 21s winning 3 Leinster titles and Antrim caught them in the first semi final. Our whole psyche is wrong. We've built this group up and now they believe they're better than they are and have stopped the basic work rate required because they think they should be at the top table but hurl at Joe Mc levels and no one is brave enough to tell them a few home truths. I honestly believe Brian Cody wouldn't get a title with these lads.
The basic hunger is not there simple as that. I've defended Conor Mc and co plenty of times because I know this group over the years, a lot of them personally. But now they're coasting. I have to question their pride in that purple and gold jersey. Every single game should be a must win game. Every ball has to be a must win. At 6ft 2 and as strong as an ox when have we witnessed Conor mc win dirty ball. When has he won his own ball? Man on man. But then again if you think you can cruise through the lesser important games and rise yourself for championship you just won't get away with that at this level. If a guy hasn't got the hunger then step away and if he's showing not to have the hunger then drop him. We can do all the drills and skills you want but training should simulate matches and should be as tough. Too many guys are hiding and not taking responsibility. The problem we have is these guys are the best we've got when you watch our championship. They'll cruise through club games and may be able to get away with it in the latter stages of the season. But not at this level. So for now this is what we've got. One player, Chin who is playing at the level required. The rest just can't cope because they're cruising on a wave of how brilliant they we're potentially at some point. Consistent champions in any sport prove to be the hardest working. We in Wexford are witnessing the demise of a lot of over rated potential and we are all partly responsible by putting these guys on a pedestal for winning a trophy every generation and not using it as a building block to continued success.

Northcountyman (Wexford) - Posts: 59 - 27/04/2024 19:53:55    2541003

Jedobi (Wexford) - Posts: 215 - 27/04/2024 20:08:14    2541006

In 2019 alot these players reached there peak against tipp in the all ireland semifinal. Since then it's being all down hill and now we are at the bottom of the hill. Let's hope now we don't fall into the river and get washed away to the Joe mc Donagh. That could well happen. Carlos All ireland is playing wexford.Stay up and we can come back next year injury free and have a good crack at the teams in division 1. Unfortunately that's where we are at.

Jimbob96 (Wexford) - Posts: 24 - 27/04/2024 20:10:35    2541008

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15421 - 27/04/2024 20:18:36    2541009

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15421 - 27/04/2024 20:19:31    2541010

katser (Galway) - Posts: 2545 - 27/04/2024 20:20:43    2541011

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15421 - 27/04/2024 20:21:20    2541012

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15421 - 27/04/2024 20:23:19    2541013

It's mad now that it's games v Antrim, Carlow, Westmeath that define our year now and the games v Galway and Kilkenny. They've overtaken the games v top 2 as biggest games in our year….cant keep living on the edge like this, after being one score away from going down to Joe McDonagh last year we're staring down the barrel of another possible relegation battle. I'd still have the Carlow game ahead of the Galway game now in importance, because what would use would a win or draw v a Galway or Kilkenny be when you go out and loose to Westmeath, Carlow or Antrim a week later and then not able to beat Dublin either. This is why the other counties or analysts never take us seriously is because of days like this which have become more common than not the last few years. The likes of Carlow, Antrim and Westmeath (and whoever comes up from Joe MacDonagh) target us as a game to get something from. Also I didn't like the dismissive tone that was taken towards Dublin before that game….have 1 win in nearly 15 years v Dublin. We're probably as low as we were in the dark days of late 00s and early 10s, it's just there isn't the same animal like the Kilkenny team of that era in the province to really drive home the fact, although the lack of importance or do or die nature to the games Galway or Kilkenny play us in probably helps. We've enough self inflicted damage done to ourselves that the result of our game against Galway or Kilkenny doesn't make much difference to them qualifying for a Leinster final, the last few years. Sure look we might go out and draw with Galway, loose to Carlow and beat Kilkenny and relive the same year again. While I alway thought were above Joe Mac level and have a higher ceiling than that, our basement is just as low as there's and if we did go down I can't honestly say we would win it, even look at Westmeath who are winless in the Joe Mac this year and didn't loose to us over two years. The year is finely balanced atm but it's wobbling big time, 1 point from 4 very achievable points with Galway, a team we haven't beaten in 28 years coming next, and then a Carlow team who've shown quiet well so far and will be targeting this game from the out set and then of course a game v Kilkenny who you would hope have already qualified. Can't keep leaving it to the Kilkenny game to try rescue the year. Playing with fire. Anyways, minors had a good win v a very highly rated Kilkenny team after a very poor performance v Dublin, hopefully it isn't like the senior team were that's it for the year now if they beat Kilkenny. Some good prospects and fingers crossed it's the start of the year and push on and not the peak and end of it. Rant over…. Actually I end on a positive, what a hurler Lee Chin is, my god I don't think there's many hurlers in Ireland who would be able to do what he can. Blessed to have him.

Throughthemidfieldhewasstormin (Wexford) - Posts: 302 - 27/04/2024 20:33:45    2541015

Tiger1 (Wexford) - Posts: 325 - 27/04/2024 20:39:49    2541017

Purpleandgold72 (Wexford) - Posts: 246 - 27/04/2024 20:41:53    2541018

wex82 (Wexford) - Posts: 214 - 27/04/2024 20:47:41    2541023

Just see there Offaly beat Westmeath and they could be going down again.
That's a tram that we couldn't beat the last 2 years.
It just shows where we are at the moment.

wex82 (Wexford) - Posts: 214 - 27/04/2024 21:00:40    2541025

WEX98 (Wexford) - Posts: 475 - 27/04/2024 21:03:45    2541027

Might be unpopular but I think most of the reaction on here has been knee-jerk and people are way too quick to come to definitive judgements.

First of all, there are quite a few on here who think that we'd be Joe McDonagh standard without Lee Chin. The argument that we don't have the calibre of players to compete at Liam McCarthy level would be a good one if it wasn't for the fact that our Minor and U20 results are consistently a lot better than what Westmeath, Antrim, and Carlow achieve. People love to question the quality of our under-age structures, how far we've fallen behind, how uncompetitive we are; if that's the case and we're Joe McDonagh level, then what does that make Westmeath, Antrim, and Carlow?

I'm not saying we have good enough hurlers to win an All-Ireland; in reality, I believe our ceiling on a good day is going toe-to-toe with a top team not named Limerick and maybe winning (But not winning consistently enough to get beyond an All-Ireland SF). But we definitely have enough good hurlers without Lee Chin to compete at this level. We may have some tactical, physical, and technical issues but even with those, we should have been more than good enough to win today and win comfortably at that. Our biggest problem by far is mental.

Long story short, the gap between our ceiling and floor is huge, much bigger than any other team in the Liam McCarthy. It explains for me why we can compete with Kilkenny (For all that they weren't as incentivised as us the last two times to win) and yet at the same time completely flop against Antrim. We're like a horse who idles in front; we only go as hard as the other team goes. In Kilkenny, they go hard no matter who they're playing; that's why we play with intensity against them. No disrespect to them and they played well and very much deserved their win today but the gap between Antrim and Kilkenny is chasmic; we decided that we could mess around and not kill the game when 7 points up (Kilkenny would have won by 15+ in that situation) and we've only ourselves to blame, much like the Westmeath games in the last two years

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 441 - 27/04/2024 21:05:32    2541030

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3433 - 27/04/2024 21:18:08    2541039