WHEN the final whistle blew in Nowlan Park on Saturday evening, the roof nearly lifted off the stand with the guttural and emotional roar that rose up from the great belly of Wexford support.
It was almost a cry of freedom, an expression of liberation, an exuberant illustration of Wexford’s passion and love for hurling. Mostly though, it was the ultimate reaffirmation that after a decade of suffering, Wexford is finally back at the top table.
With delirium and pandemonium raging all around him, Matthew O’Hanlon did an interview not long after the final whistle. He sounded like a guy who had just come from a low-key training session. Wexford were heading for Thurles on Saturday to take on Limerick in an All-Ireland quarter-final but neither he nor his team-mates had any intention of getting carried away.
It would be their fourth match in four weeks, the previous three having gone to the wire, two of which had needed extra-time against the All-Ireland champions, so they knew the routine. “Our only focus now,” said O’Hanlon, “is on recovery and getting ourselves right for next Sunday.”
About two months ago, Wexford manager Liam Dunne rang Irish rugby player Seán O’Brien and asked him if he’d be interested in joining the set-up. O’Brien was from only over the road in Tullow in Carlow and he jumped at the offer.
His official title now is ‘Process and Performance Coach’ and O’Brien has been a key factor in keeping the players grounded while the county has been going wild all around them.
In the immediate aftermath of their win against Clare, O’Brien almost read the riot act in the dressing room. It was only natural that such an epic victory — this team’s first win against an actual top-eight team in championship — would trigger such emotion but O’Brien stuck a pin in the bubble immediately.
They had won a match, no more. If they wanted to be serious contenders and reach an All-Ireland quarter-final, and possibly go further, they had to park that emotion and move on straight away.
That is literally what they did. The squad went to Curracloe beach — where the famous opening scenes in Saving Private Ryan were filmed — for a recovery session. The players dipped their legs in the cold waters but the exercise was as much to douse the fires burning in their minds than to rinse the lactic acid from their legs.
They were fully focused on Waterford by the time they left the beach. Ciaran Kenny was even back at a charity club function an hour later.
Last Saturday evening, Wexford confirmed how focused they were with their display. For a start, they made 208 plays, huge numbers which weren’t too far off the figures Kilkenny displayed at their absolute peak. Their two midfielders alone — Lee Chin and David Redmond — made a combined 42 plays.
Paul Morris was excellent in the half-forward line and was selected man-of-the-match while Conor McDonald also showcased his class as the outstanding young player in the country this year alongside Cork’s Alan Cadogan. He made 14 plays and scored 1-2 from just three shots.
McDonald’s economy and efficiency and strength on the ball sets him apart and while Podge Doran was excellent when making 18 plays, his display was contaminated by the amount of loose shooting he did. The one negative from Wexford’s performance was the statistic of them nailing just 18 scores from 37 shots. In their last three games, albeit two of which went to extra-time, Wexford have now hit a combined 53 wides.
They will have to sharpen up their finishing for next Sunday but Wexford are finally on a roll again and the whole county is buzzing from the intravenous injection of good vibes. These are great days for Wexford hurling at all levels. After living in the shadows of Kilkenny and Dublin over the last decade, Wexford have now won the last two Leinster U-21 titles.
Wexford haven’t blooded as many U-21 players as Clare and Waterford have in the last two years but Dunne has still widened the net and introduced a batch of new players. Eight of the squad which sacked Clare played no part against the same opposition in last year’s championship.
All-Ireland underage success is still the next step for Wexford but the seniors are on a roll now and the players believe now that anything is possible. Yet whatever happens, Wexford hurling has never felt more alive than it has in the last couple of weeks. Really, really alive.
