National Forum

Wexford Hurling Thread

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Replying To ElGranSenor:  "One problem we have right now is that while I do think we have a good crop of 20-24yos coming through right now and some of the older lads stepping away hadn't really played that much in recent years (And in some cases had been given a good few opportunities without ever taking them), we've lost a lot of height in the last few years and haven't really replaced it

Go back four years and we had Paudie Foley, Oisín Foley, Chin, MO'H, Jippo, Mac, Rory, and Jacko

Lee and Jacko the only two named just there who are likely to be in the squad this year and neither were in the squad against Antrim

Not every player needs to be a skyscraper but we probably were too small on Saturday"
We definitely need some taller lads, but even looking at the u20s there arent too many very tall lads. Charlie Mooney, Colin Carley are quite tall, but we don't have any 6'5"" lads on the horizon. Be great to see Alex Lafferty kick on with the Martins hes 6'3" maybe, Conn Mernagh also. Neither got starting 1st team for them this year though.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 27/01/2026 15:41:29    2653566

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Replying To Waltermitty2:  "Rory was winning man of the match in a leinster final at that age. Don't be getting carried away"
Yes but Rory was exceptional by any county's standards. Shane O'Donnell, Tony Kelly, Cian Lynch, and Darragh Fitzgibbon the only others like that who leap to mind straight away. Young Darragh McCarthy had a good year for Tipp last year also.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 27/01/2026 15:45:00    2653570

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Replying To OpenStandWall:  "Even when they were all playing we were still being outmatched physically by the likes of Galway in particular and counties in Munster"
Yes, but while our younger lads arent the tallest some are alot stronger these days than our lads used to be.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 27/01/2026 15:46:34    2653572

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Replying To OpenStandWall:  "As far as I can see, if you take away playing teams that float in and out of Joe McD in last 10/11 years we've only cracked 28+ points in a handful of Championship games, bearing in mind we've lost most of those also, went back and looked at results in Munster last year, to win about half if not more of those games teams had to score something north of that. I'm not picking 28 points to suit my own agenda either, yes we've beaten teams scoring less than that, but the game in general has evolved to be more high scoring

2014: vs Clare x2 (2-25) (Draw,Win)
2015: None
2016: None
2017: None
2018: None
2019: Tipp (3-20)(Loss)
2020: None
2021 : KK AET (2-29), Clare (2-22)(Loss x2)
2022: None
2023: KK (4-23)(Won)
2024: Galway (1-28)(Won)
2025: Dublin (4-19)(Loss)"
Exactly my point

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 27/01/2026 15:47:16    2653573

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Replying To Doylerwex:  "Mogie was motm that day. Rory was good alright but as far as I recall he scored 2 points and won a penalty."
No he wasn't. He scored 4 brilliant points and won the penalty

Waltermitty2 (Wexford) - Posts: 288 - 27/01/2026 16:02:29    2653578

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Replying To OpenStandWall:  "As far as I can see, if you take away playing teams that float in and out of Joe McD in last 10/11 years we've only cracked 28+ points in a handful of Championship games, bearing in mind we've lost most of those also, went back and looked at results in Munster last year, to win about half if not more of those games teams had to score something north of that. I'm not picking 28 points to suit my own agenda either, yes we've beaten teams scoring less than that, but the game in general has evolved to be more high scoring

2014: vs Clare x2 (2-25) (Draw,Win)
2015: None
2016: None
2017: None
2018: None
2019: Tipp (3-20)(Loss)
2020: None
2021 : KK AET (2-29), Clare (2-22)(Loss x2)
2022: None
2023: KK (4-23)(Won)
2024: Galway (1-28)(Won)
2025: Dublin (4-19)(Loss)"
Thinking about last years championship whatever about scores I was really disappointed in the pressure we put on opposition backs coming out with the ball particularly in the Dublin game. We need to adopt the same attitude as the Martins this year every man from 1 to 15 work their arses off to put pressure on the opponent. As Liam Griffin once said we may not be the most skillful or talented team in the championship but there is nothing stopping us from being the hardest working team.

Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 846 - 27/01/2026 16:07:39    2653581

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Replying To Waltermitty2:  "Rory was winning man of the match in a leinster final at that age. Don't be getting carried away"
Exactly that and stuff like Chin being a rough hurler back in the day, rubbish, he was winning huler of the month awards a year younger than Redmond is now.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1608 - 27/01/2026 16:32:35    2653587

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Replying To tearintom:  "Exactly that and stuff like Chin being a rough hurler back in the day, rubbish, he was winning huler of the month awards a year younger than Redmond is now."
Chin couldn't strike the ball properly when he started hurling for Wexford. To his credit, he's now one of the top hurlers in the country but he had to work very very hard at that.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4189 - 27/01/2026 17:52:32    2653609

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Replying To Waltermitty2:  "No he wasn't. He scored 4 brilliant points and won the penalty"
Right enough Rory got 4. I could only picture two of them.

I'll have to watch it back to see motm. I can't find that online anywhere.

The point remains the same. There's absolutely nothing to stop Cian Byrne reaching that level. Or Simon Roche for that matter.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4189 - 27/01/2026 18:28:18    2653615

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Replying To Viking66:  "We definitely need some taller lads, but even looking at the u20s there arent too many very tall lads. Charlie Mooney, Colin Carley are quite tall, but we don't have any 6'5"" lads on the horizon. Be great to see Alex Lafferty kick on with the Martins hes 6'3" maybe, Conn Mernagh also. Neither got starting 1st team for them this year though."
I don't know if we need that many 6'5+ players but we do need more players who are 6'2+

Tucker Kinsella the only starter at the weekend who was 6'2+?

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 831 - 27/01/2026 18:31:19    2653616

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Replying To tearintom:  "Exactly that and stuff like Chin being a rough hurler back in the day, rubbish, he was winning huler of the month awards a year younger than Redmond is now."
He wasn't as technically good back then as he is now though

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 831 - 27/01/2026 18:32:08    2653617

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Imagine there will need to be some rotation this week, don't really want too many players playing three weeks in a row and have to give lads who are playing Fitzgibbon a break as well

What I'd go for with that in mind:

Mark Fanning
David Clarke
Philip Dempsey
Niall Murphy
Damien Reck
Richie Lawlor
Eoin Whelan
Conor Hearne
David Codd
Jack Redmond
CBD
Tucker Kinsella
Darren Codd
Kevin Foley
Cian Byrne

Give Simon Roche, Conor Foley, and Darragh Carley a break so they're not playing three weeks in a row

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 831 - 27/01/2026 18:37:34    2653619

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Replying To tearintom:  "Exactly that and stuff like Chin being a rough hurler back in the day, rubbish, he was winning huler of the month awards a year younger than Redmond is now."
He was a very good hurler that summer in 2014, and deserved his player of the month after the wins over Clare and Waterford. It was the hurling snobs in the county said at the time- "he can't hurl, how could he be a good hurler when he was playing intercounty Football and LoI Soccer in the years before".
Lee Chin was already a supreme athlete and a big lad, even by modern standards there's not too many lads coming through in any county like he was back then, and he then put the work in at his hurling at that time, hours every day, and has stayed putting it in since, and has surely proved all those clowns wrong.
I don't get what any of that has to do with Jack Redmond though, who was only 10 at the time.
And none of that will make any difference to whether Jack Redmond turns out to be a top intercounty hurler or not. All he can do is the same as Lee Chin did, work really hard and take his chances when they come.
I do know that the speed and intensity of the modern Senior game has risen massively in those 12 years from then to now, and there arent anywhere near as many 22 year olds doing well at Senior now in any county as there were back then.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 27/01/2026 18:50:50    2653621

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Replying To ElGranSenor:  "Imagine there will need to be some rotation this week, don't really want too many players playing three weeks in a row and have to give lads who are playing Fitzgibbon a break as well

What I'd go for with that in mind:

Mark Fanning
David Clarke
Philip Dempsey
Niall Murphy
Damien Reck
Richie Lawlor
Eoin Whelan
Conor Hearne
David Codd
Jack Redmond
CBD
Tucker Kinsella
Darren Codd
Kevin Foley
Cian Byrne

Give Simon Roche, Conor Foley, and Darragh Carley a break so they're not playing three weeks in a row"
Isn't Richie Lawlor playing college hurling? Ryan Cup?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 27/01/2026 20:09:20    2653638

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Replying To Doylerwex:  "Mogie was motm that day. Rory was good alright but as far as I recall he scored 2 points and won a penalty."
Rory O'Connor was the official MOTM

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 27/01/2026 20:41:38    2653643

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Replying To Viking66:  "He was a very good hurler that summer in 2014, and deserved his player of the month after the wins over Clare and Waterford. It was the hurling snobs in the county said at the time- "he can't hurl, how could he be a good hurler when he was playing intercounty Football and LoI Soccer in the years before".
Lee Chin was already a supreme athlete and a big lad, even by modern standards there's not too many lads coming through in any county like he was back then, and he then put the work in at his hurling at that time, hours every day, and has stayed putting it in since, and has surely proved all those clowns wrong.
I don't get what any of that has to do with Jack Redmond though, who was only 10 at the time.
And none of that will make any difference to whether Jack Redmond turns out to be a top intercounty hurler or not. All he can do is the same as Lee Chin did, work really hard and take his chances when they come.
I do know that the speed and intensity of the modern Senior game has risen massively in those 12 years from then to now, and there arent anywhere near as many 22 year olds doing well at Senior now in any county as there were back then."
We've had this conversation before. I respect you, but I disagree. I adore Chin. As effective as he was, he was objectively not the best hurler in Wexford in 2014. Being a great athlete and being a great hurler are not the same thing. A hurler should be assessed on their mastery of the core skills of the game. Chin got away with not being the best hurler because he was the best athlete. Again, he's a much better hurler now because he's worked harder than anybody else.

It's a simple enough equation.

Conor Mac, excellent hurler, not a great athlete.

Chin (past tense) excellent athlete, not a great hurler. Not only is he a great athlete, he also has exceptional resilience. He could master anything.

Rory, excellent hurler, very good athlete. Still, he was born to hurl.

You can apply the same logic to teams.

Kilkenny, excellent hurlers, good athletes.

Limerick, excellent hurlers excellent athletes.

Dublin, excellent athletes, good hurlers.

That I believe is why Kilkenny keep beating Dublin and I believe Limerick will win everything this year.

There are always exceptions like Dublin beating Limerick but subsequently being hammered by cork. Same reason we can always produce against Kilkenny but can't sustain that level of athleticism. We have the hurlers but can't sustain that level of energy.

The good news is it's easier to build a and c with good hurlers than to make fit lads hurl well.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4189 - 27/01/2026 21:01:30    2653649

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Replying To tearintom:  "Exactly that and stuff like Chin being a rough hurler back in the day, rubbish, he was winning huler of the month awards a year younger than Redmond is now."
I often feel it was not the Lee Chin was not always a good hurler, but there was a bit of a narrative in some circles that he couldn't be a good hurler and Doyler before you get upset that doesn't include you. To be a good hurler he had to be better than a good hurler.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2159 - 28/01/2026 06:27:12    2653666

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Replying To Doylerwex:  "We've had this conversation before. I respect you, but I disagree. I adore Chin. As effective as he was, he was objectively not the best hurler in Wexford in 2014. Being a great athlete and being a great hurler are not the same thing. A hurler should be assessed on their mastery of the core skills of the game. Chin got away with not being the best hurler because he was the best athlete. Again, he's a much better hurler now because he's worked harder than anybody else.

It's a simple enough equation.

Conor Mac, excellent hurler, not a great athlete.

Chin (past tense) excellent athlete, not a great hurler. Not only is he a great athlete, he also has exceptional resilience. He could master anything.

Rory, excellent hurler, very good athlete. Still, he was born to hurl.

You can apply the same logic to teams.

Kilkenny, excellent hurlers, good athletes.

Limerick, excellent hurlers excellent athletes.

Dublin, excellent athletes, good hurlers.

That I believe is why Kilkenny keep beating Dublin and I believe Limerick will win everything this year.

There are always exceptions like Dublin beating Limerick but subsequently being hammered by cork. Same reason we can always produce against Kilkenny but can't sustain that level of athleticism. We have the hurlers but can't sustain that level of energy.

The good news is it's easier to build a and c with good hurlers than to make fit lads hurl well."
Agree to disagree Doyler! Having been doing gym work on and off since the mid 80s, and having attended/observed sprint sessions with top lads like Kevin Cogley and Eoin Devine O'Grady, and having done the GAA F3 Athletic Development course, as far as Ive seen you can't make someone, who isnt naturally very strong, very strong without making them more injury prone, as in you can get them to bulk up but their ligaments, tendons and joints might not be able for the extra power, unless they start this gymwork while they are still growing.
Likewise you can improve someone's speed and acceleration by teaching them proper techniques and body positions for different stages of running, for example alot of players don't even know which foot they take off quicker on, but you arent going to make a greyhound out of a tortoise.
And linking the 2 together, if you have lads that are fast bulking up in the gym you might make them slower.
So in conclusion you might make a good hurler stronger and faster but you run multiple risks and likely won't make him as strong or fast or athletic (as in movement, "step" etc) as someone who is naturally that way. Unless you start early, around u12/u14.
I agree most top technical hurlers are usually that way because they start early, but Lee Chin is proof that if you have a naturally good sportsman, (athletic, good hand/eye coordination etc) that lad can become a very good hurler if he puts the hours in.
Having seen a video of Tony Kelly when he was 12 I think the really top lads are hurling since very young, naturally athletic, and get good coaching and S and C programmes all the way up to help them develop further.
And most important of all is the mental side. I listened to a long interview with Mogie a while ago and what really came across was his inner drive. This has also struck me talking to great former and current players and coaches, and is definitely true of successful people in all other walks of life, not just hurling.
Just being naturally talented and technically good at hurling, and naturally athletic, isnt enough by itself.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 28/01/2026 09:13:38    2653674

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Replying To zinny:  "I often feel it was not the Lee Chin was not always a good hurler, but there was a bit of a narrative in some circles that he couldn't be a good hurler and Doyler before you get upset that doesn't include you. To be a good hurler he had to be better than a good hurler."
Absolutely Zinny.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 18188 - 28/01/2026 09:16:09    2653676

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Replying To Doylerwex:  "Right enough Rory got 4. I could only picture two of them.

I'll have to watch it back to see motm. I can't find that online anywhere.

The point remains the same. There's absolutely nothing to stop Cian Byrne reaching that level. Or Simon Roche for that matter."
I was only saying it's ludicrous to suggest they are more prolific than rory was at that age.

Waltermitty2 (Wexford) - Posts: 288 - 28/01/2026 09:30:07    2653681

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