| Yellowbellies dominance sets up Kilkenny
clash  Things
just got interesting in Leinster hurling. Wexford’s comfortable
victory over Galway in this NHL quarter-final indicates that the current
vintage of hurlers in the county might be capable of challenging the Kilkenny
hegemony in Leinster.
Yellowbellies John Meyler couldn’t fail to be happy with his team’s
display. Defensively they dominated a Galway team whose best attribute
has always been its attacking prowess while at the other end Wexford’s
score came courtesy of a variety of players.
Ger Loughnane’s Galway burst out of the traps with the excellent
Iarlaith Tannion rattling over a pair of fine points but for all of Galway’s
flair Wexford were dogged and tough and by the 12th minute they had levelled
matters thanks to fine points from Micheal Jacob and Steven Nolan. Galway
had two excellent goal chances one for Kevin Broderick and another through
Eugene Cloonan but on both occasions Damien Fitzhenry showed why he is
the best shot-stopper in hurling with a pair of saves as good as any in
the history of hurling.
The sides continued to trade points all the way to half-time and went
in level at the interval 0-9 each. But the signs of Wexford’s subsequent
dominance were there. Defensively they harried and bullied Galway’s
forwards to great effect meaning that the Tribesmen had to work harder
for every one of their nine scores than Wexford.
John Meyler’s appointment as Wexford boss was much more low-key
than Loughnane’s coming to Galway but his work is starting to attract
notice as did the second-half performance from his team
Their tactics might be described as the hurling equivalent of Puke Football
closing down the space, taking few risks and building up each attack slowly
and a Galway team which is more used to freewheeling, attacking hurling
didn’t know how to cope with the Leinster team’s tactics.
Three straight points at the midpoint of the second-half from Rory Jacob,
the excellent Steven Nolan and Paul Carley sent Wexford into a lead they
would not relinquish.
A three-point lead with 10 minutes to go is perhaps the most nervous in
hurling as a goal for the losing team can change the momentum.
But it is the sign of a very good team that they get the crucial scores
and when a high ball from Rory Jacob was excellently swept out of the
air and fired into the net by Steven Quigley Wexford were home, dry and
into a League semi-final showdown with Kilkenny which will give them a
far better idea of their place in the hurling pecking order.
Galway continue to have some of the best scoring forwards in Ireland but
they need a player to do the donkey work in the attack and until they
unearth such a player they will struggle against more complete hurling
teams. Ger Loughnane was tight-lipped afterwards saying only that he had
no complaints with the result.
John Meyler has timed his emergence from the shadows to coincide with
Wexford’s success. He said he was not surprised with his team’s
progress but felt that much work had to be done before the Kilkenny game.
|
