Wexford look to be on a hiding to nothing

THERE are several different scenarios envisaged for tomorrow’s Guinness Leinster SHC final in Croke Park (3.30pm), the least appealing being a totally one-sided affair.

With Kilkenny heavily committed to proving a point after last season's unexpected defeat in the semi-final, Wexford know only too well what to expect. And, they may even appreciate the possibly that the best they can hope for, is respectability of the sort gained by Tipperary through their spirited second-half recovery in Pairc Ui Chaoimh last Sunday.

Of course, all this presupposes that Kilkenny are going to reach the high standard which overpowered Offaly in the semi-final. And, that Wexford will not be able to rise to the challenge as they did last year. Nothing is guaranteed, but at the same time it's not as if these are major imponderables.

Apart from a minor slip-up against Clare in the League in Nowlan Park which the result from the final showed to be insignificant Kilkenny have done just about everything right. Brian Cody brought in new selectors and has gained an advantage from the All-Ireland successes at U21 and club level, which have resulted in several new players winning positions in the team. The team looks fresher and seems to be stronger. Few would dispute that Kilkenny are showing more consistency and a greater hunger for success than we have seen from champions Cork.

Performance wise, they looked a class act in the League final and displayed the same craft and scoring power in the Leinster semi-final.

Yes, Offaly were very poor and their marking in defence left a lot to be desired but no team would have lived with Kilkenny in that kind of form.

In contrast, Wexford didn't excel in disposing of Laois in the other semi-final (by an eleven-point margin).

Certainly, Wexford are more than capable of raising their level indeed they will be expected to, as they often have in the past but, that's the least required of them if Kilkenny perform as it is anticipated they will.

Talk of Cody's team as prospective All-Ireland winners may be premature, but they are much better equipped to regain their provincial title than Wexford are to retain it.

It seems to me that the best Wexford can hope for is to push them hard, which would entail maximising their scoring returns during any productive phases of the game.

They do seem capable of that, but there are no solid grounds for even suggesting that they are good enough to win again!