After todays intermediate and junior who's going to win their respective co finals for me cloughbawn and jimmies will be close both matched physically but I think cloughbawn should come through. Looking at junior it's clongeen v st pats clongeen won their first meeting I think mickeys laffans presence on the sideline might swing the final in their favour

Wexfordmorg (Wexford) - Posts: 12 - 12/08/2023 23:30:38    2500257

hurlorhurley (Wexford) - Posts: 1660 - 13/08/2023 00:47:22    2500263

Very scrappy opener in the Park which only got going in the fourth quarter and was hampered by some questionable refereeing.

Some of the wides and striking were terrible, even the likes of Mac and ROC could do well to gain possession initially but hit a poor attempt after.

Gorey showed greater hunger down the home straight though and finally started showing something, and were value for the win on that basis. McGuckin very good again, and thought Padraig Doyle stepped up when it mattered too. Best for Martins were Rory (even if he was held well from a scoring point of view) and Joe O'Connor. Barrett looks a prospect too, while Firman was solid defensively. Felt Jacko and the other Joe were quieter when they were needed.

beano (Wexford) - Posts: 1491 - 13/08/2023 15:44:51    2500303

Far better quality in the second game, have been very impressed with Oylegate the last two days now. Modern gameplan that the players have down to a tee, and have a few lads hurling at 'player of the year' level. Of all the overlooked players at county level, Oylegate have 3/4 worth a shot or another chance. St.Annes were very flat and their discipline let them down which is unlike them.

Oylegate mix it up- unlike the Gorey game where they always seemed to go just direct into Mac with limited success, Oylegate varied their play, but every time Doran did get it, he did damage. His battle with Eoin Molloy will be crucial next Sunday. Mikie Kelly vs Jack Cullen looks to be a clash of the ages too. Ciaran Hourihane has been excellent at full back for Oylegate so won't have any fear of a misfiring Mac, but it'll be still interesting to see who the Recks are deployed on. I'd nearly be looking to curb McGuckin more than anyone else in green.

An unique and historic county final pairing though that really illustrates the changing of the guard in an era where two of the three powerhouses are now in intermediate- whoever wins Sunday will be bringing home the cup for only the second time ever.

beano (Wexford) - Posts: 1491 - 13/08/2023 17:38:40    2500312

Two outsiders winning today. Was in the park both were scrappy enough games, oylegates system worked to tee when Anne's lost two men. Have to say refereeing was very questionable in both. Liam og sent off for going for a high ball. Martins fail to deliver again and fair play to Gorey. Mac looked a lot more dangerous and was hounded of the ball and got no frees. Think the final will be close and what an achievement it would be for des mythen to get oylegate to the promise land in his first year in charge

WexMurph (Wexford) - Posts: 275 - 13/08/2023 19:29:43    2500334

2 biggest games of the weekend and neither Eamonn Furlong or James Owens on duty? How is that?

paddybull (Wexford) - Posts: 49 - 13/08/2023 19:44:03    2500338

TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1760 - 13/08/2023 20:17:06    2500342

I thought the first Senior semi-final was a poor enough game, would say Gorey deserved it in the end. When you consider how dominant and Oulart-like the Martin's were at under-age for a good while, their record at Senior level has been distinctly unlike Oulart. It has me thinking at this stage that when it's all said and done, a lot of these Martin's players will look back at their careers and wonder whether they really chewed all the meat off the bone. They lost the County Final last year by a point and that was essentially without both Rory and Jack O'Connor; now they have both back playing for them and they're in all likelihood a slightly worse team. That doesn't make any sense in the slightest but it's if they worked harder in the absence of Jack and Rory and have now started slacking when they've returned to the starting line-up.

The difference between Oylegate this year and in previous years is stark, they feel like a completely different team to what's gone before and yet it's mostly the same players. To be fair to them, I think their third-youngest outfield starter is no older than 26 so they're a team with plenty of legs. And their style of play really makes the mose of their legs, Dessie has made them very, very competent in terms of building out from the back. I think the biggest credit I could pay to Oylegate is that their "lesser names" on the starting XV have played very well in back-to-back games. The two Hourihanes, Jack Reck, Peter Rowley, Conor Heffernan, Pa Cullen, and Joe Dunne have done about as much as could have been reasonably expected from them and that is to their great credit. It's why I would actually give them the edge over Gorey next Sunday.

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 485 - 13/08/2023 21:51:56    2500365

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15700 - 14/08/2023 08:23:28    2500389

Is it just me or is the pulling down of players getting to the stage where its destroying the game as a a contest. If there is any chance of pulling someone to the ground rather than let them through it'ds done . Takes momentum from the opposition and the game as a spectacle. How many times yesterday did this happen . One in particular occurred in the first game where gorey player just jumped on rocs back rather rhsn be skinned and allow him to get a run on goal happened near sideline outside the 21 could that have been the momentum swinger which would have lifted st martins , the game and the crowd don't think he even got yellow card could ve really hurt him too . 3 times in 2nd game in 2nd half same .
Then you watch as Liam og gets 2nd yellow for imo a legimate pull in the air accidental contact .
Strong hard play punished cynicism rewarded . I don't blame the players it's the rules and implantation of them .
If the hurling hirearchy can't see this as a problem and think the black card or similar isn't needed or beneath hurling and done quickly the are totally delusional.
Get something done about this cynical play before the national game is destroyed from fear of conceding goals which is the one thing that we all want to see to give hurling back it's pride and excitement .
In a time where inside forwards are working on their own or in pairs the backs have lost the art of defending with plus ones sweepers etc and if they do fail to gain possession or are in trouble pull the opposition player down .concede the free and a point .
Think des mythen has done a good job with oylegate especially in the forwards he must have done some serious work with them unlike other teams who seem to be obsessed with not conceding staying in the game and hoping to catch others on the break .
May work at intercounty but what club team has 3 or 4 free scoring forwards.
Refs yesterday definitely were out of their depth and contributed to destroying the games as a spectacle.
Is it their fault no they did nt pick themselves to ref the games there is too much going on to see during games from the cynical play .
One Idea cynical deliberate pull down or trip inside or around the 45 mtr line in black card/sin bin or penalty or both combination .
As of now I fear imo hurling is losing its appetite

Formertownie (Wexford) - Posts: 360 - 14/08/2023 08:50:25    2500395

MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 182 - 14/08/2023 09:18:16    2500397

I hope Oylegate win on Sunday. I know a fair few of them and hurled against them and they are tough, hard and fair on the pitch but sound lads off it.

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1826 - 14/08/2023 09:37:54    2500400

hurlorhurley (Wexford) - Posts: 1660 - 14/08/2023 11:02:00    2500429

Was down in wexford park on Saturday. First game was full of effort from both sides but lacked quality.
Mikey dywer scored 1.2 in the first half and was causing problems. His absence in the 2nd half really impacted fethard.

The wind was **** as usual down at pitch level in wexford park. Cloughbawn struggled with it in the first half. Fethard long puck outs in 2nd half barely reaching half way. Cloughbawn goal keeper nearly scored a point from a puck out in the second half.

Cloughbawn got it done in the last 5 mins as good teams do but they have a lot of improving to do before the final. Still unbeaten this year so they will be favourites.

Really enjoyed the second game. Really hard hurling and all the players left it all on the field.

St james are a really big team.
I was so impressed with cathal doyle for taghmon. Points from all angles although he missed a few.

Will matthew o hanlon start the final? Cloughbawn play a strange forward game trying to bring flood, harry kehoe and whitty into the game as much as possible. O hanlon could counteract that tactic.

Missed the senior games due to family event. Delighted for oilgate. Always good to see a non town team doing well.

Yellowhelmet (Australia) - Posts: 139 - 14/08/2023 13:05:55    2500462

I can't for the life of me work out what the Anne's were trying to do yesterday, they had Tomás Cullen up against Podge and for as hard as Cullen was going to try, that was always going to be a mismatch. Ferns last week had Niall Murphy (Who could well be starting for Wexford next year) on Podge and then had Eoin Murphy dropping back from centre-back a lot of the time; the Anne's half-back line ended up getting drawn out the pitch and offered Cullen no protection.

You'd think that Gorey won't leave acres of space in front of Eoin Molloy next Sunday although if they do, they're asking for defeat.

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 485 - 14/08/2023 13:34:55    2500471

I saw a very disturbing video in work at lunch time of an off the ball incident involving a Rathnure and Glynn player. This sort of incident has no place on a hurling pitch and I hope the Wexford county board use the video evidence they presumably have of the incident.
I would not claim to have been an angle on the hurling pitch and was involved in incidents I regretted afterwards. But there's a world of difference between a couple of wild or dangerous strokes and a frankly disgusting incident like this.
If they don't, then what message does it send regarding discipline in the county?

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1336 - 14/08/2023 14:31:59    2500490

Timbertony (Wexford) - Posts: 402 - 14/08/2023 15:01:36    2500500

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15700 - 14/08/2023 15:22:46    2500503

countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 788 - 14/08/2023 15:45:39    2500511

MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 182 - 14/08/2023 16:12:34    2500517