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Can we expect this team to improve significantly to get back on track and shake off that dreadful horror show last Saturday?
I really don't know. The players; management and indeed the whole county are still shaking their heads in disbelief in what unfolded in Nowlan Park.
We were clueless in our efforts and allowed the cats to toy with us and win without breaking sweat.
The positives are few and far between,if any.
We are a young team but if you go through the panel we have plenty of lads that have lots of experience. For instance, Fanning, Donoghoe,Ryan, Damien and Shane Reck, Hearne, Lawlor,
Conor and Kevin Foley, Jacko and Chin. That's 11 players who have been there for some time.
Many are around for ages. So it's probably true to say that currently we have plenty of youth and experience in the team. Granted one or two may be reaching the end of their hurling intercounty careers and have given loyal service to the cause.
It remains to be seen if some of the newbies will make the cut. Only time will tell.
Dublin,Offaly and Galway still to come, so it's now up to the mentors and players to correct the errors that were very evident on Saturday and give it one l hell of a lash in all 3 games.
Magpie2 (Wexford) - Posts: 670 - 27/04/2026 07:54:54
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Replying To StoreysTash: "A big problem in Wexford is anybody calling out bad results or warning signs about where we are are called negative and pessimistic.
Look at our record in schools hurling. What have we won at the top level in recent years? Nothing.
Look at the representation on Fitzgibbon teams. Tipp - 46, Limerick Y35, Cork 31 (I think this is higher but double check this evening), Galway 29. Wexford 15. I don't for one second want to hear "but they go to college in Carlow and TUD", if the players were good enough the top colleges come calling. Waterford is the same distance from most parts of Wexford. There is no better barometer of the success of your underage teams than colleges calling on a recruitment drive.
We DESPERATELY need something like the minors to do something at Leinster at least but also All-Ireland level after the 2019 disaster in the semi final.
I think its cheap to blame Davy for not blooding players. We didn't produce enough good players and its easy to say that player x never got a chance but there's a few players who might have been good enough. Rory was long vaunted as something special but there's a gap as to who is the next star after him? We just are not producing enough top players.
My father said the worst thing in Kilkenny on Saturday was they were back to pitying Wexford like 10 years ago. They should have been rubbing our noses in it because we need something to fire the whole place up a bit, and not another Liam Griffin speech either" Genuine question - Do you think Rossiter is the man for the job? From what I saw of Wexford on Saturday they look like a team who have no idea as to what type of game plan they are trying to implement. I (and everyone else) felt that this was a glorious opportunity for Wexford to shine, and the opposite happened against, let's be honest, an average KK team.
bloodandbandage (Cork) - Posts: 512 - 27/04/2026 08:26:06
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Replying To Pikeman96: "Still absolutely deflated after the Kilkenny match and has taken me until now to even have a look at the comments here. Won't add to them. Enough has been said.
Will return instead to the bit a couple of pages ago where ElGranSenor & Paull about the format of the minor championship. Because as I pointed out myself before it even started, it's crazy.
I don't actually mind so much the fact that if our lads lose to Kilkenny, they'll be out. Normally if you play three games in a system where only two teams go through, and you lose two of those three games, you wouldn't expect to go through anyway.
But say we beat Kilkenny, and the other two go as expected (i.e. Westmeath beat Laois, Galway beat Dublin). Then the group standings would be:
Group 1: Kilkenny 2 points, Dublin 2 points, Laois 0 points.
Group 2: Galway 6 points, Wexford 4 points, Westmeath 4 points.
Am putting Wexford ahead of Westmeath there on account of how our score difference is so great. Westmeath should be much too strong for Laois, but would be a tall order to make up the 34-point deficit they need to overcome (they're currently -9, while Wexford are +25).
So - Westmeath go out despite having four points and a campaign to be proud of. Dublin & Kilkenny both go through despite only having two points and being disappointed with their results overall.
Crazy, stupid, system." On Wexford gaa website we are down to play Kilkenny in Nowlan park Saturday . Surely we can't be playing every game of the group stage away from home ?
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 1001 - 27/04/2026 08:58:28
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I think it has been obvious from early this year that Rossiter hasn't the full confidence of the dressing room - he brought in a soccer manager as lead coach and two lads from Rathnure and Cloughbawn as 'selectors' that in my opinion have little to offer. You think the players don't know or understand this.
We played a sweeper but still conceded 5-21 .. while their sweeper sniffed out everything that went down that way. We continued to lump 50/50 balls down on top of Chin .. I'd say Jack Redmond (who was also poor) got maybe two balls that were considered 60/40. Mikey Butler must of had 4 shots on goal after tearing up the wing and no one tracking him.
Throw in the lack of any sort of tactics and we look like the most unprofessional setup I ever saw. No sort of urgency. Multiple frees given from our 40 yard line but instead of a defender hitting it quickly we had to wait until Fanning came out to take it. At that stage Kilkenny had reset and any pocket of space was gone.
How Eamonn Wickham was dropped and then not even in the first 4 subs brought on
MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 298 - 27/04/2026 09:15:30
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Now to really rub our noses in it Laois v Westmeath is at 12 noon while Kilkenny play Wexford play at 2 knowing exactly what they need to qualify.
An absolute joke of a championship totally geared to suit KK,Wexford,Galway and Dublin.
Meanwhile the Laois and Westmeath county boards totally absorbed in football couldnt even manage to ensure the games start at the same time.
Where are our officials?
jobber (Westmeath) - Posts: 1931 - 27/04/2026 09:39:12
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Replying To ElGranSenor: "In the latest development in the mess that is the Leinster Minor Hurling Championship, Laois are slated to play Westmeath in Portlaoise on Saturday at noon while we will be at home to Kilkenny at 2 and Dublin will be at home to Galway at 2 as well
Upshot of this is that we will know exactly what we have to do in the KK game based on what Westmeath do versus Laois (That's very unfair on Westmeath)
Also notable that Laois will have three home games out of three and Galway will have three away games out of three
They could have organised this whole thing a lot better" Seems we were typing about this thing around the same time last night.
Didn't realise at the time that the fixtures for next Saturday aren't even at the same time. And yes, that's another question mark over how the whole thing is being run.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3541 - 27/04/2026 09:41:30
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Replying To StoreysTash: "A big problem in Wexford is anybody calling out bad results or warning signs about where we are are called negative and pessimistic.
Look at our record in schools hurling. What have we won at the top level in recent years? Nothing.
Look at the representation on Fitzgibbon teams. Tipp - 46, Limerick Y35, Cork 31 (I think this is higher but double check this evening), Galway 29. Wexford 15. I don't for one second want to hear "but they go to college in Carlow and TUD", if the players were good enough the top colleges come calling. Waterford is the same distance from most parts of Wexford. There is no better barometer of the success of your underage teams than colleges calling on a recruitment drive.
We DESPERATELY need something like the minors to do something at Leinster at least but also All-Ireland level after the 2019 disaster in the semi final.
I think its cheap to blame Davy for not blooding players. We didn't produce enough good players and its easy to say that player x never got a chance but there's a few players who might have been good enough. Rory was long vaunted as something special but there's a gap as to who is the next star after him? We just are not producing enough top players.
My father said the worst thing in Kilkenny on Saturday was they were back to pitying Wexford like 10 years ago. They should have been rubbing our noses in it because we need something to fire the whole place up a bit, and not another Liam Griffin speech either" KK crowd back to their patronising worst the other night alright. Wexford back down to the level Laois were a few years back on that evidence. Miles off it - tactically, skill levels, conditioning, decision making. Only both Recks, Lawlor (in first half) and Kevin Foley looked up to the required standard.
Timbertony (Wexford) - Posts: 549 - 27/04/2026 09:54:04
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Replying To Afinestick96: "On Wexford gaa website we are down to play Kilkenny in Nowlan park Saturday . Surely we can't be playing every game of the group stage away from home ?" That match is definitely fixed for Wexford Park.
I know all the fixtures/results details on the website are pulled from a central system operated by Croke Park, and the various competition organisers are the ones who input the fixtures details in the first place. Must have been somebody in Leinster Council made a mistake. Might be fixed in due course, but definitely Wexford Park anyway.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3541 - 27/04/2026 09:57:04
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Replying To Afinestick96: "On Wexford gaa website we are down to play Kilkenny in Nowlan park Saturday . Surely we can't be playing every game of the group stage away from home ?" No its in Wexford Park at 2pm
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19353 - 27/04/2026 09:57:29
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Replying To Viking66: "We badly need some underage success, just to give lads around the place a bit more confidence. We havent even reached an AI Minor final since 1985." Is it true if we dont beat Kilkenny on Saturday we are more than likely out? Sounds like we have a good minor team this year would be a huge boost if we can get a breakthrough at minor or U20
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 1001 - 27/04/2026 10:04:31
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Replying To bloodandbandage: "Genuine question - Do you think Rossiter is the man for the job? From what I saw of Wexford on Saturday they look like a team who have no idea as to what type of game plan they are trying to implement. I (and everyone else) felt that this was a glorious opportunity for Wexford to shine, and the opposite happened against, let's be honest, an average KK team." They were poor and we were shocking. We didnt put any pressure on them at all.
As regards gameplan we went man on man at the back with no spare man, yet left them with a spare man, usually Corcoran. And yet there were still acres of room in the middle for them to run through. Bizarre.
And then he selected lads who were either out of form or have shown over a period of a year or two that they either arent good enough, or they arent good enough yet.
Some of the other lads didnt seem well motivated at all either, though that would be as much their fault as Keith's. Any Wexford hurler should be able to get themselves up for a game v Kilkenny.
Tough day at the office for him ok.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19353 - 27/04/2026 10:06:28
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Replying To MyOhMi: "I think it has been obvious from early this year that Rossiter hasn't the full confidence of the dressing room - he brought in a soccer manager as lead coach and two lads from Rathnure and Cloughbawn as 'selectors' that in my opinion have little to offer. You think the players don't know or understand this.
We played a sweeper but still conceded 5-21 .. while their sweeper sniffed out everything that went down that way. We continued to lump 50/50 balls down on top of Chin .. I'd say Jack Redmond (who was also poor) got maybe two balls that were considered 60/40. Mikey Butler must of had 4 shots on goal after tearing up the wing and no one tracking him.
Throw in the lack of any sort of tactics and we look like the most unprofessional setup I ever saw. No sort of urgency. Multiple frees given from our 40 yard line but instead of a defender hitting it quickly we had to wait until Fanning came out to take it. At that stage Kilkenny had reset and any pocket of space was gone.
How Eamonn Wickham was dropped and then not even in the first 4 subs brought on" Cant understand why Wickham wasnt even brought on was he carrying a knock. Another thing that really bothers me about this management when its clear in the first half some players are really struggling we need make the call thats needed and make a half time change.
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 1001 - 27/04/2026 10:09:55
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Doylerwex, Liam Griffin is undeniably a legend in Wexford GAA. My problem with the whole psyche in Wexford is I bet he's on the airwaves today talking about hurling and about pikemen and Father Murphy.
None of that washes with young people, and its 30 years since Wexford won that All-Ireland and what have his own club achieved regarding hurling in the meantime? All the while he is talking about hurling in Cavan and Longford and wherever else. Its very tedious.
Seperately, my father was saying there was about 2-3 thousand Kilkenny children paraded around Nowlan Park at half time the other day. Wexford's season hinges on Saturday week, can Wexford not get on to the Leinster Council to get them to give them free children's tickets to distribute to the schools or clubs for this match, to try and swell the crowd to fill the park for this vital game? Parade our own clubs around at half time. Do whatever we need to do to get a bit of hype about the game because otherwise the park will have about 7-8 people at 4pm on a Saturday (a desperate time for a match). We desperately need a big Wexford crowd on Saturday week and the 2 games after because our season is over if we lose on Saturday.
Yesterday Munster yet again made a show of the Leinster Championship and its up to the Leinster Council now to rejuvenate hurling in the province in the coming years. Its 12 years since a Leinster county (bar Galway) won a minor, 2022 for u21 and before that 2008 and all were Kilkenny? My gf is from Tipp and frankly I can't put up any argument to defend the Leinster Championship at this stage. Its an abomination and in 2 rounds, there has been one good game.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2005 - 27/04/2026 10:11:12
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Replying To bloodandbandage: "Genuine question - Do you think Rossiter is the man for the job? From what I saw of Wexford on Saturday they look like a team who have no idea as to what type of game plan they are trying to implement. I (and everyone else) felt that this was a glorious opportunity for Wexford to shine, and the opposite happened against, let's be honest, an average KK team." I fear if he leaves we will find it hard to get anybody who wants the position.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2005 - 27/04/2026 10:13:34
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Replying To StoreysTash: "A big problem in Wexford is anybody calling out bad results or warning signs about where we are are called negative and pessimistic.
Look at our record in schools hurling. What have we won at the top level in recent years? Nothing.
Look at the representation on Fitzgibbon teams. Tipp - 46, Limerick Y35, Cork 31 (I think this is higher but double check this evening), Galway 29. Wexford 15. I don't for one second want to hear "but they go to college in Carlow and TUD", if the players were good enough the top colleges come calling. Waterford is the same distance from most parts of Wexford. There is no better barometer of the success of your underage teams than colleges calling on a recruitment drive.
We DESPERATELY need something like the minors to do something at Leinster at least but also All-Ireland level after the 2019 disaster in the semi final.
I think its cheap to blame Davy for not blooding players. We didn't produce enough good players and its easy to say that player x never got a chance but there's a few players who might have been good enough. Rory was long vaunted as something special but there's a gap as to who is the next star after him? We just are not producing enough top players.
My father said the worst thing in Kilkenny on Saturday was they were back to pitying Wexford like 10 years ago. They should have been rubbing our noses in it because we need something to fire the whole place up a bit, and not another Liam Griffin speech either" Its not a cheap shot at Davy that he didnt blood players. Probably our best u21 hurling team of the last 20 years was the 2018 team, who lost the Leinster final to Galway to a last minute goal at the end of ET. Hardly any of those lads got called in to the Senior squad by Davy, or got left off for a few years before he did call them in, which wouldnt have been good for their development. And he played pretty much the same lads every game, how were other lads supposed to get better if he never played them?
He did plenty good for the county, and was starting to look at other lads in 2021, and adjusting his gameplan as he went along. I wanted him to get one more year myself at the time, if you can find the threads. So its not a personal anti Davy thing going on with me.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19353 - 27/04/2026 10:14:00
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Replying To Magpie2: "Can we expect this team to improve significantly to get back on track and shake off that dreadful horror show last Saturday?
I really don't know. The players; management and indeed the whole county are still shaking their heads in disbelief in what unfolded in Nowlan Park.
We were clueless in our efforts and allowed the cats to toy with us and win without breaking sweat.
The positives are few and far between,if any.
We are a young team but if you go through the panel we have plenty of lads that have lots of experience. For instance, Fanning, Donoghoe,Ryan, Damien and Shane Reck, Hearne, Lawlor,
Conor and Kevin Foley, Jacko and Chin. That's 11 players who have been there for some time.
Many are around for ages. So it's probably true to say that currently we have plenty of youth and experience in the team. Granted one or two may be reaching the end of their hurling intercounty careers and have given loyal service to the cause.
It remains to be seen if some of the newbies will make the cut. Only time will tell.
Dublin,Offaly and Galway still to come, so it's now up to the mentors and players to correct the errors that were very evident on Saturday and give it one l hell of a lash in all 3 games." Donohue didnt play. It was Ryan's first competitive game back since last year, and Shane Reck and Jackos 2nd. Im sure all 4 will play better in 2 weeks time.
And Conor Foley only turned 22 a few months ago. Hes still only a young fella learning and getting mentally and physically stronger as he goes along.
Hopefully Donohue, Cian Byrne and Patsy Molloy will be available for the Dublin game, Darren Codd also.
And most importantly hopefully the lads collectively show more will to win the next day also.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19353 - 27/04/2026 10:23:01
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Replying To StoreysTash: "A big problem in Wexford is anybody calling out bad results or warning signs about where we are are called negative and pessimistic.
Look at our record in schools hurling. What have we won at the top level in recent years? Nothing.
Look at the representation on Fitzgibbon teams. Tipp - 46, Limerick Y35, Cork 31 (I think this is higher but double check this evening), Galway 29. Wexford 15. I don't for one second want to hear "but they go to college in Carlow and TUD", if the players were good enough the top colleges come calling. Waterford is the same distance from most parts of Wexford. There is no better barometer of the success of your underage teams than colleges calling on a recruitment drive.
We DESPERATELY need something like the minors to do something at Leinster at least but also All-Ireland level after the 2019 disaster in the semi final.
I think its cheap to blame Davy for not blooding players. We didn't produce enough good players and its easy to say that player x never got a chance but there's a few players who might have been good enough. Rory was long vaunted as something special but there's a gap as to who is the next star after him? We just are not producing enough top players.
My father said the worst thing in Kilkenny on Saturday was they were back to pitying Wexford like 10 years ago. They should have been rubbing our noses in it because we need something to fire the whole place up a bit, and not another Liam Griffin speech either" I don't think anyone is suggesting that our schools record is good, I'd say pretty much everyone would say we need to get much better at that level
And I don't think anyone would say our representation at Fitzgibbon level is where it needs to be
But it is important to note that the schools thing is not really just a Wexford thing in Leinster, Kieran's pretty much dominate everyone, Kilkenny CBS next with Good Counsel probably after them (Although they do have significant KK representation), bit of a much of a muchness after that, KK teams can be very Kieran's-heavy though and Kieran's are artificially strong (Gearóid O'Shea this year, Donagh Murphy a few years ago, Brian Carroll and Eoin Kelly back in the day, even the likes of Richie Leahy who should've been Good Counsel really)
And on the colleges, important to note that college isn't for everyone, no point a lad going to college just to hurl when he's not academic, we seem to have a good few lads like that in the 21-24 age bracket for whatever reason
That's not excusing it or suggesting we're in a good place (I think we could be a lot better) but context is needed
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1117 - 27/04/2026 10:23:48
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Replying To Doylerwex: "I agree with your father about the worst part.
Nothing you're saying is untrue but it's not constructive either. There are positives so you have to point to them in order to keep going.
It's not cheap to blame Davy. We've a gap of a specific age profile which is directly because of him. I can name them if you need me to. Do you know how many championship debuts Davy handed out when we were very competitive at 20 and won our first provincial minor since 85?
I'd argue Cillian Byrne is the next big talent. He's been unlucky with injury but he has all the ingredients to be a top level intercounty forward. Was is 3 he got off the bench yesterday and left one short? Very effective impact for a lad who's only starting out.
I don't know what your problem is with Griffin but his type of thinking is what every person needs." That's a good reply to him.
Maybe it's a "big problem" that calling out bad results or warning signs is dismissed as negative and pessimistic, but to my mind, an even bigger problem is all the people who are happy to hop on the bandwagon the odd time things are going well, but then resort to sniping from the sidelines when things not going so well, without every making any constructive or workable suggestion or contribution themselves.
"Something has to be done" - well, what?
"We're just not up to it" - so, how do we fix it?
"[Name here] is out of his depth" - who would you have got instead, or who you do think should be appointed next, who will be up to it?
"The County Board haven't a clue" - every single position on the County Board becomes available each year. If you have all the answers, why not put yourself forward? Or at least, bring those "answers" to somebody already on the Board?
"So-and-so said ....." - what actual constructive things does so-and-so do to try make a difference?
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3541 - 27/04/2026 10:25:18
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Replying To MyOhMi: "I think it has been obvious from early this year that Rossiter hasn't the full confidence of the dressing room - he brought in a soccer manager as lead coach and two lads from Rathnure and Cloughbawn as 'selectors' that in my opinion have little to offer. You think the players don't know or understand this.
We played a sweeper but still conceded 5-21 .. while their sweeper sniffed out everything that went down that way. We continued to lump 50/50 balls down on top of Chin .. I'd say Jack Redmond (who was also poor) got maybe two balls that were considered 60/40. Mikey Butler must of had 4 shots on goal after tearing up the wing and no one tracking him.
Throw in the lack of any sort of tactics and we look like the most unprofessional setup I ever saw. No sort of urgency. Multiple frees given from our 40 yard line but instead of a defender hitting it quickly we had to wait until Fanning came out to take it. At that stage Kilkenny had reset and any pocket of space was gone.
How Eamonn Wickham was dropped and then not even in the first 4 subs brought on" We didnt play a sweeper at the back, we were man on man back there. Our spare man was in our half forward line.
The 2 lads who were approached to be lead coach both turned down the job.
Shane O'Brien became lead coach then afaik, not Shane Keegan.
Carton did ok managing Cloughbawn and is fairly tactically astute, but I dont know what his role is in there, or whether he has any input into our tactical set up, or lack of it. And I dont much about Ronan who is a selector.
Agree about Wickham.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19353 - 27/04/2026 10:31:00
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Replying To jobber: "Now to really rub our noses in it Laois v Westmeath is at 12 noon while Kilkenny play Wexford play at 2 knowing exactly what they need to qualify.
An absolute joke of a championship totally geared to suit KK,Wexford,Galway and Dublin.
Meanwhile the Laois and Westmeath county boards totally absorbed in football couldnt even manage to ensure the games start at the same time.
Where are our officials?" It is a complete joke. Must be very frustrating for hurling people up there such as yourself. Its not fair.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19353 - 27/04/2026 10:31:52
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