Wexford vs Kilkenny - U21 hurling tonight

[bandage]

Wexford travel to Callan tonight to take on Kilkenny in the U21 Leinster semi final. There’s a bit of bite about this one as there’s been a massive row about the venue. There is a longstanding agreement in place between the counties to operate underage fixtures on a home and away basis but Kilkenny had fixed a concert in Nowlan Park last year so the Leinster Council fixed the game in Wexford (should have beaten their much vaunted line up that night). We never asked for them to sell out to some American rock band so it was assumed we’d have home advantage this year but they appealed. Again, Nowlan Park is unavailable due to it being set up for a forthcoming Bob Dylan concert (Kilkenny hurling men must be turning in their graves - times indeed are a changin’) so the Leinster Council have fixed it for Callan which is one of the worst grounds in Ireland. Anyway their team is as follows:

L Tierney
K Joyce D. Cody, S Cummins
J Dalton J Tennyson P Hartley
M Fennelly P Hogan
J Fitzpatrick A Murphy TJ Reid
E O'Donaghue R Power D McCormack


That’s an incredibly strong team; Cody, Tennyson, Cha Fitzpatrick and Richie Power are all likely to start for their seniors in the Leinster Final and they’re defending AI champions. We don’t have a bad side – Richie Kehoe, PJ Nolan and a few other senior panelists will be playing. If anyone from thefreekick is heading from Dublin then I’d love a lift – you can send me a pm. I would love it if we beat them.

[bandage]

Replying to myself here! This is taken from The Wexford People - the coach Davy Morris is a confirmed nutter - he's not happy Kilkenny are writing us off!

WEXFORD UNDER-21 manager Davy Morris has made five changes to the starting team which narrowly overcame Laois for the Erin Leinster hurling championship semi-final against arch-rivals Kilkenny at Callan tonight (Wednesday, 7.30 p.m.).
Having struggled to shake off the determined midlanders (0-17 to 1-12), the management team of Morris, Mick Jacob (Oulart-The Ballagh), Len Hall (Buffers Alley) and Cormac Quinn (St. Martin¹s) have decided to shuffle their pack somewhat, as they aim to record a first championship victory over the Cats since 2002.
There will be a completely new midfield partnership of Senior star P.J.
Nolan and Stephen Morris, with Tomás Waters and Alan Griffith losing out, while Nolan¹s left half-forward berth has gone to Cloughbawn¹s Ger Flood.
Oulart-The Ballagh attacker Barry Kehoe also comes into the half-forward line in place of Robert Butler, while Alan O¹Neill is preferred to Nicky Kirwan. Only one alteration has been made in defence, with Geraldine O¹Hanrahans wing-back Gary Hill given the nod ahead of Colin Breen.
There is no starting place for St. Martin¹s forward Ciarán Lyng, who made a big impression when introduced against Laois, as he is receiving treatment for a shoulder injury. Eoin Sheridan and Donie Doyle have been included amongst the substitutes, but are unlikely to feature due to injury.
Davy Morris admitted that his charges left it late before accounting for Laois three weeks ago, but has insisted that they are ready to step it up a gear against the Cats. According to the Marshalstown-Castledockrell clubman, the fact that our near-neighbours are reported to have completely written off the Slaneyside challenge will only serve as an additional motivational factor for his team.
ŒTrue, we probably underestimated Laois a small bit, but they actually had a very good side,¹ he said. ŒWe were very worried for long periods that the lads hadn¹t clicked into gear, but were delighted with how they took the bull by the horns in the last ten minutes.
ŒAs for Kilkenny, we realise that it will be a daunting task for us, as they have some serious players like John Tennyson, Donnacha Cody, ŒCha¹ Fitzpatrick and Richie Power. But we have done our homework on their team and will certainly not be fazed by them. We are not happy with the manner in which they consistently disregard us.
ŒLast year we ran them very close, but they gave us no credit at all. They are writing Wexford off in every grade and we are getting sick to the teeth of it. From the County Board to the mentors and players, it is time for everyone in Wexford to get the finger out and put it up to Kilkenny.
ŒWe are accepting second best to them far too often. I feel the time is right now for us to overcome them both in the Under-21 and Senior. We can do it, if we just believe in ourselves,¹ he added.
While Morris is unhappy that Wexford are being dragged all the way to Callan for this game (due to a concert in Nowlan Park next weekend), he has appealed to all Slaneyside fans to make the trip to get behind his team.
ŒWe are not happy with the venue, as it adds an extra half an hour to our trip on what is a working day for everybody,¹ he said. ŒAll inter-county games should be played in the main county ground if possible. But we will play Kilkenny where we have to, and certainly won¹t be using the pitch as an excuse if we don¹t put in a good performance.
ŒThe Seniors¹ win over Offaly has been a fantastic boost to the lads. You can see there is a real pep in the step of the four players from our squad who were involved (Richie Kehoe, P.J. Nolan, Stephen Nolan and Michael Doyle). Anyone who is a true Wexford hurling fan should travel to Callan on Wednesday evening to support the lads,¹ he added.
Wexford - who lost out to Galway in a challenge game on Wednesday last in Portlaoise - will be hoping to make it third time lucky against the Cats, having been beaten in last year¹s semi-final (2-13 to 0-15) and the 2004 decider (1-16 to 2-3).
The Wexford team is: Éanna Martin; Brian Malone, Michael Kinsella, Bobby Kenny; Andrew Kavanagh, Richie Kehoe, Gary Hill; Stephen Morris, P.J. Nolan; Barry Kehoe, Stephen Nolan, Ger Flood; Alan O¹Neill, Michael Doyle, Christopher O¹Connor (capt.). Subs. - Dermot Flynn, Colin Breen, Colm Farrell, Ciarán Lyng, Frank Cullen, Robert Butler, Nicky Kirwan, Tomás Waters, David Redmond, Alan Griffith, Neil Kelly, Pádraig Ryan, Eoin Sheridan, Donie Doyle.

[therock67]

Great result for Dublin last night. They're developing real consistency at underage level where they're consistently better than Offaly. Bit of a hammering for the Wexicans but I presume Dublin will take a beating in the final.

[bandage]

3-17 to 1-06! It was 2-04 to 1-06 at half time. Absolutely shocking - apparently their crowd were openly laughing at our performance - the crisis in Wexford continues. Cracking result for Dublin - 14 points from play last night though they'll find it tough to beat KK.

[tommymoore]

It wouldn't be the first time Kilkenny laughed at their opposition. They were laughing at us in Thurles 2 years ago when they hammered us in the qualifiers. Only way to get them back is by rubbing it in their faces if ye beat them in the Leinster final. However judging by yer 9 points in the Leinster semi I seriously doubt ye'll get the chance.
Good to see Dublin. Agree though, they prob won't beat KK.

[briantinnion]

Didn't go last night due to Championship commitments of my own, however my auld fella went and he reckons apart from PJ Nolan the rest of the team might as well give up hurling. I'll admit that he does have a tendancy to make rash judgements after defeats like that though! He was disgusted by the attitude of the Kilkenny supporters also, "jeery ba$tards" he said. To quote Kevin Keegan "I'll love it if we beat them" on July 2nd love it.

It's very worrying that all our underage teams have performed so shockingly this season, I remember Babs Keating (think it was him anyway) writing in the Sunday Times in 2004 just before our Leinster semi-final with Kilkenny about our underage level of success and he said it was a mystery not how bad we were at underage but how good we were a senior level considering the drought of underage success. At the time I was outraged, but to be fair to him it's a fair comment.

I'd be interested to get Bandage's view point on the Hurling Development plan that was unveiled by the Co. Board this week, I admire the efforts of those who are trying to do something about our predicament however the plan looks like a serious slap in the face to the footballers and if the plan succeeds I think it will have a detrimental effect on football in the county. Just as we have seen the death of the dual player at intercounty level, if this plan succeeds we have seen the last of the dual club player.

[bandage]

BT – I haven’t seen the plan in detail but I agree it could have a detrimental effect on football. I think it involves a team of qualified coaches spending substantial amounts of time at every club in the county for a considerable period of time (where is time put aside for football?) – it also involves coaching of the existing club coaches to ensure they’re up to speed with all of the latest drills and practices. What else does it entail? Those who prepared and proposed it will say they’re pro-hurling and not anti-football but it’s difficult to see how both games will be able to function together in the future. I know it’s old ground here but the minor hurling championship hasn’t even started in Wexford yet. How are our young minor hurlers going to be able to compete with Kilkenny, Cork, Galway et al if they’re not playing regular games? Remember they’re coming up against lads from the likes of James Stephens, St. Finbarr’s, Athenry etc who probably play some form of hurling most days a week. It’s no coincidence that counties who have put proper underage structures in place have started to make great strides recently – look at Dublin minors winning Leinster last year, their combined colleges side winning the All Ireland beating Kieran’s and Flannan’s along the way and their U-21s impressing last night. Carlow and themselves have moved ahead of us on the underage ladder. I am loathe to turn my back on one code over the other – hence my revulsion at Kilkenny’s disgraceful treatment of football – and I don’t want Wexford, as a county, to abandon one code so we can specialise in the other. The worry though is that we’ll be uncompetitive in both as it appears even underage players will be unable to serve both masters in the future. Maybe it’s time for the clubs in Wexford to decide whether they want to concentrate on hurling or football and specialise in that. Is the day of the dual club over? Maybe if clubs concentrated on one sport and promoted that solely then the best young players will choose the code they are most talented in, receive focused coaching and play regular, competitive games in that game. Then maybe we can compete in both games because at the moment with most of our clubs being both football and hurling orientated youngsters are flitting between both games and not performing at a high enough standard in either. Any thoughts?

[briantinnion]

Had a quick read of the main topics of it last in The Echo, I think the main idea is that 20 clubs will focus solely on hurling for the next three years. I can't see how this is anything but bad news for football in the county.

This could indeed spell the end of the dual club in the county, this in itself presents problems for the very fabric of the GAA. Take for example a player like myself who only plays football, but his club considers itself a hurling club, suppose my club decides to focus solely on hurling, where does that leave me? Am I expected to just forget playing GAA or to move to a neighbouring club? The move to another club goes against the very grain of the GAA tradition and is one I would be totally against, you don't choose your club in GAA, you inherit it. To be honest I don't know what the solution is, but I do know this is bad for football in the county.

[steamboatsam]

is the plan available on the net anywhere? wouldn't mind have a read of it

[bandage]

My unreliable sources tell me they're not putting it up anywhere because they don't want any other county copying it. People asked for copies after the slide presentation at the launch to discuss in their clubs, and they were told that they weren't available for that reason. Very cloak and dagger.

[steamboatsam]

bandage said:

My unreliable sources tell me they're not putting it up anywhere because they don't want any other county copying it. People asked for copies after the slide presentation at the launch to discuss in their clubs, and they were told that they weren't available for that reason. Very cloak and dagger.

your source in the local newspaper could surely lay his hands on a copy?