NHL Division 1A: Wexford 0-15 Kilkenny 2-17
Three matches in and not a hint of a win, Wexford manager Keith Rossiter takes solace where he can find it. On Saturday night with Chadwicks Wexford Park doubling as a cryotherapy chamber, the home team redefined ‘dismal’ in the first half before responding feistily after the break to bargain down likely Kilkenny annihilation to a comfortable victory.
For the second week, though, Rossiter saw his team get to the verge of serious recovery but balk at completion. A Cian Byrne free cut the margin to seven, 0-14 to 2-15 with six minutes left. There then followed four wides in three minutes – not all howlers but neither were they obviously poor shot selection.
In other words, they could have been just a score behind in the 67th minute. In the end, the visitors tidied up with a free by Eoin Cody and a concluding score from replacement Billy Drennan for an eight-point win.
The home support in a crowd of 4,561 could have been forgiven for feeling relieved.
The second half had restored what was heading for a complete disaster by half-time at which point Kilkenny led by 12, 2-10 to 0-4.
Byrne picked off the first two scores from frees and they would actually ‘win’ the second half 0-11 to 0-7. They also kept the Leinster champions scoreless for 14 minutes while Wexford fired over five points without reply, the pick of them a nicely hit lineball by Cathal Dunbar.
Rossiter wasn’t sure whether to be impressed by the second half or appalled by the first. “There was no fight and no drive but in fairness to the lads they showed what they can do in the second half.
“There’s loads to work on – lots of young players coming through the squad at the minute. What better way to blood them in than Kilkenny in Wexford Park and Clare in Ennis in two weeks’ time?”
The backdrop to the season features the retirement of three established personalities. All Star Diarmuid O’Keeffe, Matthew O’Hanlon and Liam McGovern all retired since last season whereas another All Star Lee Chin has just returned to training and Conor McDonald and Liam Ryan are injured.
“Lads being injured and retired is just part of it,” said the Wexford manager. “We have to drive on. We’re in a bit of a transition period and trying to build a team for championship. That’s the main focus. The hand that we have is the hand that we have.
“Look at today. Simon Donohoe got injured early and we brought on Cian Molloy, 22 years of age and he didn’t miss a beat when he came on. That’s positive. The same way, Rory came off and we brought on two lads from the 20s. Simon Roche had a point and set up a lot of play and caught a couple of puck-outs. That’s positive as well and we need to keep building on it.”
The recent, well-contested rivalry between the counties felt like a parallel universe, meaning that Kilkenny were viewing proceedings through a different lens.
Their defence was solid, physically dominant in a middle third that imposed itself on Wexford, whose litany of unforced errors compounded the problem. Mikey Carey was RTÉ’s MOTM and beside him, Paddy Deegan was able to choose his shots like a golfer. Up front, Martin Keoghan further enhanced his standing as the team’s − and one of the game’s − in-form forward with two first-half goals.
Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng was relieved to have picked up a second win after the previous week’s home defeat by Galway but vexed that they had displayed un-Kilkenny tendencies to letting the opposition off the hook rather than turn their first-half superiority into a punishment beating.
“Wexford upped it a bit as we knew they would but we found it hard for spells. We picked off a few scores here and there but I wouldn’t be happy with the second half. But we’ll take a win in Wexford Park. We would have taken that before we came down.”
He was asked about his own list of incapacitated players but was vague about their precise return dates although Ballyhale duo TJ Reid and Adrian Mullen were in the travelling party.
“It’s hard to know, it’s week to week but (by) Limerick (two weeks) or Cork (three weeks), hopefully we will have a few of them back for that but to be honest it’s too early to say. It really depends on how they get on in the next week or so.
“We have to be careful as well we don’t rush anyone back and someone suffers a breakdown with an injury and it’s trouble then for April so we just have to be careful with one or two, particularly lads who have had niggles before. Some lads have had injuries and hamstrings so we have to be mindful of that.”
WEXFORD: M Fanning (0-3f); E Ryan, C Foley, S Donohoe; C Dunbar (0-1, lineball), D Reck, R Lawlor (0-2); C McGuckin, C Hearne (0-1); D Codd, J Redmond, Cian Byrne (0-6f); C Flood, R O’Connor, C Byrne Dunbar. Subs: C Molloy for Donohoe (15 mins), Cillian Byrne for O’Connor (23), S Roche (0-1) for Codd (ht), S Casey (0-1) for Flood (51), J Byrne for Byrne Dunbar (68).
KILKENNY: A Tallis; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; D Blanchfield, M Carey (0-1), P Deegan; K Doyle, J Molloy (0-1); M Keoghan (2-0), C Kenny (0-3), B Ryan (0-2); S Donnelly, E Cody (0-8f), H Shine (0-1). Subs: B Drennan (0-1) for Donnelly, E Lyng for Keoghan (both 56 mins), P Connellan for Deegan (63), B Reid for Carey, N Shortall for Ryan (both 67).
Referee: L Gordon (Galway).
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