“They’ll come down very quick, to be honest,” says Wexford manager Liam Dunne. “The man who doesn’t come down will be in trouble.” Not easy for a team who just last Saturday beat All-Ireland champions Clare after 180 minutes of a draw, a replay and two full servings of extra-time.
But then there is no choice. Wexford are out again this Saturday against Waterford.
Win that and Wexford are out again on Sunday week, in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Limerick, after which the race is reduced to just four.
So near and still yet so far, as Dunne knows, reflecting on Saturday’s heroic win at Wexford Park. Indeed Wexford are now reaping the sort of whirlwind scheduling of games that ultimately took Clare to their All-Ireland title last September
They will meet a Waterford team in Nowlan Park on Saturday evening (7pm) nicely rested up since their first round qualifier win over Laois nearly three weeks ago. Waterford will also feel Wexford have done them a nice favour by taking Clare out of the equation.
Demanding run
Wexford’s demanding run won’t have gone unnoticed either, especially with the Leinster under-21 final against Dublin sandwiched in between the Clare draw and replay.
“It was only the first round of the qualifiers,” says Dunne, in an interview with Wexford GAA TV. “It’s step by step, inch by inch. Not many Wexford players get the chance to hurl against the All-Ireland champions twice in the one week.
“We are creating a lot of chances, not putting them all away, and that’s something we need to improve on. But it’s all part of the development of this team. Players get confidence from winning, and these players will gain from this.”
There is very little championship history between Wexford and Waterford to go on.
Despite sharing miles of peaceful border, they’ve only met twice in the championship, with one victory each.
Equally close
Wexford won their 2003 qualifier, 1-20 to 0-18 ( in Nowlan Park), before Waterford won an equally close All-Ireland quarter-final, in 2008, 2-19 to 3-15 in Thurles.
That was the last time Wexford reached the quarter-finals, while Waterford have contested three more since, in 2009, 2011and 2012, as well as reaching the All-Ireland semi-finals directly as Munster champions in 2010.
Dunne does benefit from a relatively robust panel, and his own tactical boldness of being able to swop players, according to their performance: Paul Morris, for example, was taken off in normal time against Clare last Saturday, after his free-taking had gone on the blink, but then returned in extra-time to hit three crucial points from play.
Likewise Jack Guiney didn’t start in either the draw of replay, but came on last Saturday to hit an equally crucial 0-10, including two from play.
“There was no secret,” says Dunne. “We kept to the same process. It’s all about the players. They’re the ones sacrificing their lives for this. We’re just facilitating them as best we can. You’re looking for character, for commitment, for dedication, and they have it in abundance.”
