Eager Conor McDonald hopes Wexford get summer extension

Along with the likes of Liam Ryan and Kevin Foley, Conor McDonald is facing what he hopes will be an avalanche of hurling in the coming two weeks.

It’s been quite a chaotic period already: following the seniors’ provincial semi-final defeat to Kilkenny, there was the U21s’ equivalent game against Offaly last Wednesday, which became a viral hit thank to Wexford’s uber-team goal.

This Saturday, the seniors hope to keep their season alive when they welcome Cork to Wexford Park. Win that and they’re out again the following weekend but before that there’s a Leinster U21 final meeting with Kilkenny at home too.

Brilliant Wexford goal after Offaly nearly goaled at other end. pic.twitter.com/nDQ9xZPRV6

— Kilrush Askamore GAA (@kilaskgaa) June 24, 2015

All going well, that will make for five games in 20 days - three in the space of seven - and a schedule that would read as manic as last summer. McDonald ain’t one for complaining, knowing how much there is at stake when Liam Dunne and Jimmy Barry-Murphy share the sideline at the weekend: two managers both in their fourth years.

Would it be a disaster for either manager to lose the game? “Yeah, it would,” he says.

“I’d say it would be a big setback for Cork as well. They were Munster champions last year. Every year a qualifier comes up where you are thinking, ‘God, them lads you are expecting to see elsewhere’ but these things happen. Anybody can beat anybody if you are not going well you can be beaten. It’s knockout hurling. Either Liam or Jimmy Barry is going to have an early summer. Hopefully it’s Jimmy Barry for us!”

Instead of being the video nasty most would believe it to be, Wexford’s review of their 24-point defeat to Kilkenny 10 days ago wasn’t too bad, insists McDonald. Sure, there was plenty of frustrating mistakes but they identified issues that can be repaired in such a short space of time.

“Analysing the Kilkenny game kind of restored belief in everything that we have done and that the fundamentals that weren’t right can be fixed. They are the easiest things to fix. Sometimes getting back on the horse is the easiest thing to do. Just throw the shackles off and give it a go. Getting beaten by Kilkenny, for me, was a weird one as it hasn’t happened too often. We’ve been fairly lucky to get the right side of Kilkenny at underage but I suppose that’s what happens sometimes.Cork is the sole focus at this stage.”

Last year would back up McDonald’s point that the best is seen of Wexford when there is no safety net of a second game.

“We’ve basically played one game after the round robin which was Westmeath and maybe because we were beaten by Kilkenny... in my eyes anyway it doesn’t mean the years is over or we’re not meeting our potential.

“It was only this time last year we were actually hitting our potential, this weekend coming last year when we played Clare in Cusack Park. Everyone was going mad about this Wexford team and the summer isn’t over yet, it’s only really starting with the nitty gritty and knockout hurling. I think knockout is where we play best and hopefully we’ll put it right on Saturday.”

* McDonald was speaking at the press event to launch next Wednesday’s Bord Gáis Leinster U21 HC final