O’Brien cool as ‘hard work’ gets Model men over the line

Everywhere you looked, Wexford players stood and smiled as the relief and adrenaline drained from their bodies after their squeaky one-point win, but not their manager.

Aidan O’Brien might have just registered his first championship win as the county’s manager — and their first of any description in 13 weeks — but he leaned against a wall with the nonchalance of a teenager waiting for a bus.

“It’s just a quarter-final of a Leinster Championship,” said the Westmeath native. “It’s a good win for us. We put a lot of work into it and are just grateful to be in a semi-final.”