Wexford v Clare: Does form count for anything here? Wexford have shown no sign of the spark that has sporadically lit up the championship over the last 10 years. Clare have nothing to fear from the team Seamus Murphy will send out tomorrow at Croke Park.
There is not even any historical reference to motivate Wexford, not that they utilised the contempt bred by familiarity in the meek Leinster final surrender to Kilkenny.
Clare are coming off a momentum-building qualifier campaign that yielded 8-57 in the three victories over Limerick, Dublin and Offaly. They even performed above their usual early summer standards when losing to Cork on May 28th.
In contrast, Wexford posted a puny nine points to scrape past Offaly and were eight scores off the hardly intimidating pace set by Kilkenny in the provincial decider.
It would be folly to completely rule out Wexford but they failed to trouble Clare in their two championship meetings to date, both All-Ireland quarter-finals, in 2002 and last year. Unless Murphy has discovered a magic potion to enliven the forward line, after three weeks of inactivity, the future looks grim.
The loss of Darren Stamp through injury forces a reshuffle with Rory McCarthy back in midfield, while Michael Jacob and Tomas Mahon come into the forwards with Micheál Jordan dropping out. Darragh Ryan returns to full back but his fitness levels will receive a stern examination from Alan Markham. Both Paul Codd and Dessie Mythen failed to make it.
A low-profile Clare report no injury concerns this week. Like Armagh in football, the old men of hurling seem primed for another high summer battle. This could be the last opportunity to collect that elusive third title. This should provide motivation for the Lohan brothers, Colin Lynch and Seánie McMahon. Another go at Cork is the potential prize.
CLARE: D Fitzgerald; G O'Grady, B Lohan, F Lohan; B O'Connell, S McMahon, G Quinn; J Clancy, C Lynch; D McMahon, T Carmody, N Gilligan; D Quinn, A Markham, T Griffin.
WEXFORD: D Fitzhenry; D O'Connor, D Ryan, K Rossiter (capt.); M Travers; D Ruth, D Lyng; R McCarthy, C Kenny; M Jacob, R Kehoe, E Quigley; S Doyle, R Jacob, T Mahon.
Referee: M Haverty (Galway)
