Rossiter says Model must up ambition

Wexford hurler Keith Rossiter believes the county should be at least targeting an All-Ireland semi-final place for the coming year.

In 2014, the Model County reached the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2007, losing to Limerick having beaten Clare and Waterford in the qualifiers.

Such a showing represented progress, but Rossiter is now keen to ensure that there is no stagnation. Going a step further or winning a trophy would be a further sign of improvement under manager Liam Dunne.

“Not to be cocky about it or anything like that, but you have toimprove every year,” Rossiter said.

“I think anything less than an All-Ireland semi-final for Wexford is not going to be seen as an improvement, no matter who you meet along the line. If you get into that backdoor scenario, you could come up against anyone, as we’ve seen the last couple of years.

“Wexford have to be getting to an All-Ireland quarter-final and getting a result in it.

“Getting into an All-Ireland semi-final would be a successful year and you’d like to have some silverware too, whether that’s getting promoted from Division 1B of the league or winning the Walsh Cup or Leinster.

“There has to be something on the table at the end of 2015.”

The nature of the 4-26 to 1-11 defeat to Limerick in the quarter-finals was a blow, albeit one tempered by the fact that it was Wexford’s fourthweekend in a row playing. Theexperience of that will be a motivation to do better, according to Rossiter.

“The way it ended was very disappointing, to be honest,” he said, “but I would count the year as a success for Wexford hurling, though.

“We brought a lot of new guys into the team and the panel and they’ll be a year wiser come 2015, so that should help. “You’d be hoping to build on it now, that’s common practice, to try to improve on what you did last year.

“We didn’t have a bad year, so if you take another step that would be an All-Ireland semi-final, which would be great.”

Wexford’s 2013 was over in early July after defeat to Clare. That was after extra time while they drew with Dublin in Leinster before losing the replay, but Rossiter doesn’t think that the county got enough credit for those showings.

“In 2013, people didn’t really respect Wexford,” he said.

“No matter what we would have done, it wouldn’t have been seen as an achievement by any other county, bar ourselves.

“We ran Dublin, drew with them and got a replay, and then we took Clare to extra time, fair enough they beat us well then in that.

“We built on it though, and if we can keep building like we have done for the last couple of years, please God we might get a bit of silverware in 2015. In 2013, we laid the foundations, in 2014 the house was nearly built, now we have to startproducing.”

To this end, they are helped by having won the last two Leinster U21 hurling titles.

“The progress of the U21s has been great,” Rossiter said.

“The amount of work being put into the underage for the last couple of years is coming to fruition now.

“Winning Leinster, getting to the All-Ireland final and pushing that great Clare team for 60 minutes in Thurles, I won’t say it was an achievement but the lads never died down.

“They showed good fighting spirit and if they can bring that to the senior set-up, it has to be good.”