Christy O'Connor: Wexford need powers of recovery to avert apocalypse
COMEBACK FOR THE AGES: Westmeath manager Joe Fortune speaks to his team after the game. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
In last year’s World Cup in Qatar, the unofficial anthem of the tournament was Gala’s club hit ‘Freed from Desire’, a 1996 house-music inspired Italian crossover pop classic. The hit has been a favourite amongst soccer teams for years but it was popularised even more during the World Cup when England, Poland and Switzerland chose it as the official selection given to FIFA as the song to play over the PA when they scored.
It may not have been anywhere as warm but the end of the match in Ennis on Sunday felt like a World Cup event in Qatar as the Clare throngs danced and loudly sung the words of the tune booming out over the loudspeakers.
At one stage, David Fitzgerald waved his arms like a conductor in front of the north stand to drive the decibel levels through the roof. In another Munster Hurling Championship match for the ages, the happy vibes amongst the home supporters in the ground made it feel like the round robin had crossed another new threshold in terms of entertainment, drama, tension and nerve-tingling suspense.
Cork played their part in a classic but Clare finding a way to win the game was the ultimate endorsement of their stamina, willpower and massive spirit, especially when losing their first home game against Tipperary had appeared to put them in a perilous position, particularly when having to go to Limerick six days later. But when the game went into the red that night, Clare powered on, just as they did on Sunday.
They were driven by some brilliant performances all over the field. Tony Kelly led the way in the first half when scoring 1-4 from six shots. Shane O’Donnell was outstanding in the second half when winning a penalty, scoring a point, being fouled for a free, having a direct assist and a key hand in two more scores.
Peter Duggan had four massive assists, including the key one for Kelly’s first goal. John Conlon was superb again while, with the exception of a handful of plays, Cork’s long deliveries into their full forward line were eaten up all day by the Clare full-back line, with Adam Hogan and Rory Hayes outstanding, especially when Conor Cleary went off injured.
It was fitting that Diarmuid Ryan had the ball in his hand at the final whistle, before throwing it into the crowd in ‘The Shed’, because nobody was more defiant than the Cratloe man. From 23 plays, Ryan’s four points from five shots, including the winning score, was pivotal to Clare’s win.
Clare will be thrilled to have reached another Munster final and to have three weeks to iron out some of the creases from this performance. Their conversion rate was only 54%. Their conversion rate from placed balls was only 44%. They conceded a colossal 3-10 off turnovers.
Yet Clare still found a way. It’s been an apt metaphor for an outstanding group since that first setback against Tipperary in their opening game.
At the end of the third quarter in Thurles on Sunday, Limerick found themselves in a position they’ve rarely been over the last six years. It wasn’t that they were two points down and staring defeat in the face – it was more how they had found themselves in that position.
Much of that stemmed from Tipperary’s absolute ferocity and intensity but the source of Tipperary’s scores was astonishing – 0-15 of their 0-19 total at that stage of the game had come from Limerick turnovers. As a comparison, Tipperary had only coughed up less than half that total (0-8) from the same source.
Those numbers provide an accurate reflection of how Limerick are still not themselves. On the other hand, their numbers in the last ten minutes – from when they levelled the match in the 63rd minute, until the final whistle in the 76th minute – underlined how this team is still so adept at managing the game in the face of such adversity.
In those last 13 minutes, Tipp won more puckouts, but Limerick dialled up the heat which forced Tipperary into more turnovers (8-5). Crucially, Limerick only conceded 0-1 from those turnovers, while that added intensity also meant that Limerick were able to get off more shots (6-5).
Conor Bowe showed huge character when coming off the bench for Tipperary to hit three points from three shots, especially when he had come on against Cork before being taken off again. Peter Casey also made a big impact off the bench for Limerick but the biggest gamechanger was Graeme Mulcahy. From five possessions, Mulachy scored two points while he was also fouled for a free and had the key assist for Tom Morrissey’s late lead point.
Limerick will be disappointed at not winning the game when they had the lead in the dying moments. They will be even more disappointed with their turnover numbers for three-quarters of the match. Yet they will be thrilled at how they managed the game when the need was greatest.
And delighted with the display of Mulachy.
In early February, Clare arrived into Wexford Park, fired the home team into a blender and blitzed them by 22 points. The 6-25 Clare accumulated was the highest ever score that Wexford conceded in the league.
Alan Aherne of the outlined how it was the first time Wexford had shipped six goals in a league game since Cork put 6-7 past them in New Ross in 1971. In his match report, Aherne said the performance was a “farce unacceptable on every conceivable level”.
Injuries and a threadbare squad heavily contributed to the paucity of the performance, but such poor form and abject quality was hard to accept. “Morale and confidence is at a pretty low ebb,” said former player Tom Dempsey on Newstalk a few days later. So how low is the mood now?
After training their sights on qualification from Leinster, Wexford are now hovering on the brink of relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup after Sunday’s shock defeat to Westmeath.
Joe Fortune and his team deserve immense credit for the way they turned around a 17-point deficit. But the magnitude of that collapse has left Wexford in an unimaginably difficult predicament. If they lose to Kilkenny next weekend and Antrim beat Westmeath, Wexford will go through the trapdoor.
Finding themselves in this position is all the more difficult to comprehend again considering the control Wexford appeared to have in the game. They led by 16 points at half-time before Westmeath hit them for an unanswered 1-4.
Wexford still led by 11 points with 17 minutes of normal time remaining before a Niall Mitchell goal gave Westmeath fresh momentum. Once Westmeath got a sniff, they were able to draw on the experience from last year’s match when they salvaged a draw from a similar – if not as daunting – starting point, when a raft of late scores eventually got them level.
Wexford dusted themselves down to beat Kilkenny in Nowlan Park for the first time ever in a championship match a week later. Yet they will need even greater powers of recovery and willpower to beat Kilkenny next weekend if they are to avoid the apocalyptic vision of potential relegation from Leinster.
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