Wexford wary of fateful county

THE Wexford hurling management are concerned the team won’t perform in Sunday’s Guinness Leinster championship final in Croke Park.

While that may be a general concern for managers going into big games, in Wexford's case it's well grounded. The county has a poor record in relation to the number of times they have failed to Offaly after beating Kilkenny.

Not only do the statistics over the last 20 years or so prove it, the current management have personal experience of it. Manager John Conran and selector Martin Quigley have bitter memories of three such defeats in the 80's. And, they don't have to be reminded that it happened several more times in recent years.

On Tuesday, Conran and Quigley with County Board Chairman Sean Quirke hosted a media briefing attended by four players. The advance notice pointed out it would be the last opportunity for players to be interviewed. However, both Conran and the chairman stressed they weren't keen on features on individual players.

The concern is that enthusiasm among supporters after the win over Kilkenny induced as much by its dramatic nature as the actual victory itself needs to be dampened down.

Martin Quigley, who also managed the team previously, agrees their supporters have been very faithful down through the years. And, he appreciates why there should have been so much euphoria after the champions were dethroned. "Having beaten the old enemy, it's only natural that there would be a lot of enthusiasm. There's a great tradition between the counties, going back to the late 40's, and that has built up over the years. So, a victory over Kilkenny is always very important to Wexford people," he explains.

In regard to how their players can cope with increased expectations, he says the management are reassured by the way the players have been 'so focused' in the intervening period.

"I think they have learned their lessons and we learned those lessons from 1981, '84, '88, '98 and 2000.

"Offaly have been a bogey team for Wexford. We know that and we treat them with the greatest respect. We also know we have to up our performance based on the Kilkenny game if we are to match them. It's going to be a huge challenge and we have got to be prepared for it."

Quigley has a vivid memory of the first big upset Wexford suffered at the hands of Offaly, recalling that the Midlanders 'had been coming' from the late 70's before they made the big breakthrough in 1981. "That year, we had a huge win over Kilkenny but we fell in the Leinster final. That has happened on a few occasions and we have got to ensure it doesn't happen on Sunday," he added.

The combination of retirements, withdrawals and injuries forced a reorganisation of the team. Not surprisingly, these upheavals were initially unsettling. Notably, the management brought in a few young players, including Martin's nephew, centre-forward Eoin Quigley, son of John.

"These players were full of energy and enthusiasm and they showed strongly in training and in the challenge matches we played," explained Martin Quigley.

"We felt it was time to give them their head and they proved against Kilkenny that they are well capable of matching the best."

At the same time he accepts it's too early to say if they can show the type of maturity which has been the hallmark of Waterford's recent displays. All they have to show so far is one victory albeit a major one and he points out that they were 'extremely lucky' to win the semi-final.

"Henry Shefflin hit the post with one shot and if that had gone in we could have been beaten. These are the breaks you get during the game. It was in the melting pot and then Mick Jacob turned up to get a fantastic goal at the end. But, I thought we had our nose in front throughout the field for the whole game. When you play a team like Kilkenny you are never going to be too far away."

He laughs at the suggestion Offaly are not the force they were a few years ago and that time maybe catching up on Brian Whelahan. "We are talking about Brian being near the end of his career for the last four years and still he is playing fantastic hurling. That's a load of humbug, really. He's still a great player and I have no doubt he'll live up to his reputation on Sunday.

"Offaly play a nice brand of hurling. They move the ball fast, are very economical always have been and get scores when you least expect them to.

"We all know the Kilkenny win won't amount to much if we don't win on Sunday. I expect that there will be no more than three or four points in it at the end."