Conran hails Model resilience

THE job complete, John Conran stood in the corridor beneath the Hogan Stand and almost dared anyone to write off this or any other Wexford team again.

Hard to imagine this was the same man supposedly in danger of losing the dressing room two short months ago.

“There’s tremendous character in this team,” the Rathnure man said after yesterday’s tit for tat tussle.

“This is their third All-Ireland semi-final in four years and people forget that.

“People have been writing off Wexford hurling and we have to be acknowledged as being up there as one of the best at the moment.”

It's easy to forget now, of course, but before the win over Kilkenny just over three weeks ago, Wexford hurling was the subject of countless obituaries. Yet, yesterday's task brought with it a different obstacle to clear.

Time and again down the years, Wexford have skinned the Cats only to be cut down by Offaly the following day. Rather than act as a millstone around their necks though, Wexford used it as a lesson from the past they were determined not to repeat.

“We were very aware of the expectation from the time we beat Kilkenny. Experience is a great thing and we have been at the wrong side of losing Leinster finals down the years. Offaly, in particular, have been our downfall on a lot of occasions.

We were very aware of that and very focused on it,” said Conran.

For all that, Wexford looked distinctly out of kilter during the first half and admitted afterwards to feeling blessed that they were merely a single point in arrears at the interval. They may have taken the Bob O’Keeffe Cup home with them last night but they aren’t about to forget their lethargy in that opening 35 minutes.

“Of course we care what went wrong because when all is said and done we’ve only won a Leinster final,” said corner back David ‘Doc’ O’Connor.

“Offaly would have looked at what we did against Kilkenny and, God knows, they are dangerous. That’s not just a cliché. How many times have Wexford gone to Leinster finals as hot favourites only to be beaten by Offaly?

“They had all the aces but we were really happy to go in a point down at half-time. We gave ourselves a bit of a kick up the arse at half time and we just decided that we weren’t leaving here without giving it a better shot in the second half.

“We just had to tighten up. If you keep letting the likes of Brendan Murphy and Damien Murray in on goal they’ll punish you badly for it.

“No better men to stick it away. We are what we are. We know we’re not perfect. We were so bad in the league that this team will never get complacent again.”

That Wexford had a cup to contend for at all after the break was down in the main to goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry who made three saves from goal-bound shots in the first period, a fact not lost on his teammates.

“Without him we were dead and buried. Simple as that,” said captain John O’Connor.

“He made some magnificent saves. He stopped a penalty as well but we’ve come to expect it of him. It was up to the backs really because we were letting the balls in too easily to him and the forwards let the balls out as well.”

Just over three weeks ago, the 19-year old skipper had never played a championship match. He now finds himself captain of the Leinster champions with Kilkenny and Offaly’s scalps under his belt as well.

“I’m a bit jammy, alright but I’ll take that too,” O’Connor laughed. “It’s brilliant. Something I always dreamed of after coming up here and watching the likes of Liam Dunne and John Conran himself, Martin Quigley, all them lads.

“John is from my club so I kind of followed him up all the way along. It hasn’t sunk in yet, really.”