McDonald can slay ghosts of Semple

ALL-IRELAND U21 HC SEMI-FINAL:

The accepted mecca of hurling venues, but for Conor McDonald and a few more of the Wexford U21s travelling to the Tipperary town for today’s Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U21 semi-final it is a repository of failed pilgrimages.

Only four weeks have slid past since Liam Dunne’s seniors had their summer odyssey halted unceremoniously: a 24-point savaging at Limerick’s hands making a mockery of the expectation hot-housed in the choked traffic jams hours earlier.