Wexford hero Rory O’Connor warns Kilkenny must cope with Galway’s ‘proper men’
It’s getting on for three weeks since Wexford let a second straight Leinster final appearance slip through their fingers and Rory O’Connor still can’t shake the sense of annoyance that came with their defeat to Kilkenny.
Some of his older colleagues had spoken before that last round-robin fixture about the opportunity in front of them and how it had to be grasped. Paul Morris, by way of example, is 27 and he has played in just the one provincial decider.
“We were licking our wounds for at least a week. To be nine points up and to lose that lead, you just can’t do it. I didn’t put it down to fatigue or anything.
“We went from the game plan. We started playing it down the middle instead of staying down the sides, so…”
Kilkenny’s reward is a shot at the reigning Leinster and All-Ireland champions in Croke Park this Sunday.
“Wexford fell nine points short of Galway in last year’s version and the margin was identical when the pair met at the start of June.
“You’re playing beside the likes of Daithí Burke and you’re looking up at him. They’re big, big men and they’ve been around a long time.
“They came on the scene in 2012 in their first Leinster final and that’s the same spine that has lost maybe a couple of lads and a few new lads have come in.
“They’re a very well drilled team and they’re a lot more experienced now. They have that experience of winning the All-Ireland. Things really didn’t go our way that day. We were flat firstly. They had 1-2 on the board at the start of the first-half.”
‘Proper men’, is the phrase O’Connor uses to describe the Galway giants.
Much the same as was said about Kilkenny for so long, in fact, and listening to the Wexford man is enough to make you think that the game in HQ could be a zinger.
“The way it’s gone now, you have your own man again. The days of marking space are gone or else teams are racking up 28 points per game. You have your man, you dog him. And if you win enough of them battles, you’ll win the game.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
