NHL Division One A/Wexford 2-13 Clare 0-11: Sceptics would prefer to declare that the domestic hurling strife raging within the county has finally affected the morale of the Clare players. But that assessment would deny Wexford due credit for a magnificent home performance.
Davy Fitzgerald - Clare's superb goalkeeper - was spot-on in his summing-up of Wexford's dominance: "If you're not mentally ready for a challenge like that you're going to be in trouble."
Wexford were razor-sharp in all sectors. The influence of Darragh Ryan at full back brought the best out in defensive colleagues Malachy Travers and Keith Rossiter. And their work encouraged a sterling half back trio of Ciarán Kenny, David O'Connor and Diarmuid Lyng to produce magnificent displays.
Further downfield, front-runners Rory Jacob and MJ Furlong set the forward division, led by Eoin Quigley, alight.
"From where I stood they totally outplayed us," said Fitzgerald, who was possibly the best placed of any Clare player to assess the might of this resurgent Wexford team. "I liked the way they played as a team and fought hard for one another. Their aggression was something else and fair play to them."
Wexford took advantage of the chilly breeze in the first half and went about dismantling Clare's inadequate resistance with verve and imagination. The first blow for Clare came as early as the fifth minute when Furlong gave Fitzgerald no chance after good work by Quigley.
Clare struggled to find the target, with Barry Nugent's opening score for the visitors in the eighth minute not added to until the 23rd minute by the first of Tony Carmody's four pointed frees.
Despair was Clare's consistent companion throughout that first half and they trailed by 1-8 to 0-3 at the break.
Fitzgerald was getting plenty of opportunities to demonstrate his long-puck prowess against the wind. However, with the assistance of the wind in the first half Rory Jacob emerged as the poc fada specialist, scoring one of his eight points from the halfway line with the placed ball.
Clare tried relentlessly to find some sort of improvement when wind-assisted in the second half. Following the introduction of Niall Gilligan they got the deficit down to four points.
However, right on cue, Rory Jacob went centre stage with a excellent goal. Tomás Mahon made the initial probe, finding the Oulart-the-Ballagh dynamo with a good delivery towards the right corner. Jacob lost his marker and careered along the endline before crashing home to the net.
Wexford amassed 2-8 of their total from play, and manager Séamus Murphy was very pleased with his team's performance. For him, it was one way of forgetting about their opening defeat by Waterford.
Clare had to field without three of their original choices - full back Brian Lohan, wing back Conor Plunkett and wing forward Alan Markham - because of injury.
Instead, they introduced Frank Lohan at full back, Gerry Quinn at wing back and Jonathan Clancy at wing forward.
WEXFORD: D Fitzhenry; M Travers, D Ryan, K Rossiter; C Kenny, D O'Connor, D Lyng; D Stamp, T Mahon; PJ Nolan (0-1), E Quigley (0-2), M Jacob (0-1); M Jordan, R Jacob (1-8, three frees, one 65), MJ Furlong (1-0). Subs: D Mythen (0-1) for Jordan.
CLARE: D Fitzgerald; T Holland, F Lohan, C Harrison; P Donnellan (0-2, one free), C Forde, G Quinn; B O'Connell (0-1), P Vaughan; D McMahon, T Carmody (0-4, all frees), J Clancy; B Nugent (0-1), T Griffin, F Lynch (0-1). Subs: F Flynn for Vaughan, N Gilligan (0-2) for Nugent.
Referee: S McDonnell (Tipperary).
