NHL Division One/ Waterford 1-23 Wexford 1-12: The working year began officially for John Meyler in Wexford Park yesterday, but so numerous and glaring were the home side's deficiencies that the job of remedying them would appear to have no obvious beginning.
Waterford came to town and blew Wexford away without breaking sweat. Physically bigger, technically more accomplished and infinitely more confident, they never had to worry about the possibility of not leaving with two points. Long before the end they were cruising and thinking of Cork in two weeks.
For Meyler it was a disheartening afternoon. Wexford could be forgiven their lack of physical presence or stature, but so few of their players showed any heart or ingenuity that he must have wondered what he has taken on. Wexford, in front of a good-sized home crowd, scored just one point from play in the first half, and although the scoring rate increased after the break there was the suspicion that Waterford were finding it hard to keep themselves motivated.
There are a couple of assumptions about Waterford which we are forced to re-examine occasionally. First, every year is the make-or-break year for Justin McCarthy in the Deise. By now, if we are to believe everything we write, he has overstayed his welcome in Waterford longer than the occupying forces have overstayed theirs in Iraq. Yet Waterford hurled with happy enthusiasm yesterday at the start of another make-or-break year.
It is also said (this time with more empirical evidence) that Waterford rely, unavoidably perhaps, on the same unfeasibly small group of players to get them through each successive make-or-break season. Yesterday among others they were missing Tony Brown, Eoin Murphy, Paul Flynn and the starlet Shane O'Sullivan but carried on regardless.
The bad news for the rest of Munster is that Aidan Kearney deputised at corner back more than adequately, although he will have more testing days, while Stephen Molumphy and Kevin Moran were both inserted into the forwards where their sheer physical presence alone made them a threat.
Molumphy scored three points, while Moran, regarded in WIT as a defender, was given a run at full forward where his size caused problems. He finished with 1-2, the goal being a tap-in in the first half when Moran wisely let everyone jump with big Dan Shanahan and waited for the ball to drop at is feet.
That goal was the first score of the game but it did little to stir Wexford, who required a free in the 20th minute to open their scoring. Waterford by then were cleaning Wexford out in midfield and Damien Fitzhenry, sprightly after some heavy training, must have been wondering if it was all worth the energy given how reliably his puc outs were coming straight back towards him. Wexford won little puc out ball all day, and that allied to a certain lack of ingenuity and movement in the forwards, will be a major concern for Meyler.
Waterford led by 10 points at the break and the variety and range of their scores told the story of a team dominant in all areas.
Wexford's only consolation lay in the 10 wides they had amassed in the half, some of them appalling misses, others the result of hasty play.
Early in the second half Wexford introduced two big men, Pat Doran and Stephen Nolan. They had contrasting experiences. Nolan (who scored a fine point) found himself marking Eoin Kelly.
If Kelly is having trouble adjusting to life after his controversial change of club he disguised it beautifully by running in 10 points, half from play and half from frees. Those he took from play are worthy of a highlight reel of their own.
Doran brought back a few memories when he went in at full forward and proceeded to put his hand or his stick up for every dropping ball, and Wexford, who have pined for a big forward for a few years, may yet look at the direct route as the best way forward.
Doran won his side a penalty late in the game when he put his claw into the sky and got hauled to earth by a startled defence. Fitzhenry made the journey upfield from goal but, perhaps through exasperation, his customary sang froid in these situations failed him and he drove the ball over the bar.
A couple of minutes later Doran again made a nuisance of himself under a high ball and this time it broke towards Eoin Quigley who, having been guilty of some heinous misses in the first half, pulled directly to the net.
Wexford travel to Clare in a fortnight. Lots of work to be done before then.
WATERFORD: C Hennessy; D Prendergast, T Feeney, A Kearney; J Kennedy (0-1), K McGrath, D Coffey; E Kelly (0-10, five frees), S Molumphy (0-3); D Shanahan (0-2), M Walsh, S Prendergast (0-3); J Mullane (0-2), K Moran (1-2), E McGrath. Subs: S Walsh for J Mullane (46 mins), R Foley for D Coffey (63 mins), N Jacob for S Prendergast (69 mins).
WEXFORD: D Fitzhenry (0-1, a pen); M Travers, R Kehoe, P Roche (0-1); D Lyng, K Rossiter, C Kenny; T Mahon, R McCarthy; M Jacob (0-5, two frees), E Quigley (1-1), M Doyle; M Jordan (0-1), R Codd (0-1), R Jacob (0-1). Subs: S Nolan (0-1)for T Mahon (38 mins), P Doran for M Doyle (42 mins), E Sheridan for R Codd (46 mins).
Referee: E Morris(Dublin).
