Leinster SHC: Dublin 3-26 Wexford 4-19
Upon tight calls are Championship games won and lost.
Exhibit A, Sean Currie’s goal for Dublin from a 50th-minute penalty which levelled the game and gave the hosts the confidence to strike two more shortly after.
Powerful full forward John Hetherton hit both of those latter goals, in the 52nd and 54th minutes, to set the seal on back-to-wins in the Leinster SHC.
Dublin are now top of the round robin table, for a while at least, and with Wexford’s scalp taken they will fancy their chances of at least a top-three finish.
Wexford manager Keith Rossiter, however, was seething about the penalty which swung the game, claiming that the ball didn’t actually cross the line after Currie’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Mark Fanning.
Rossiter said he was not happy with referee Michael Kennedy’s performance overall, noting a couple of other big calls that went Dublin’s way, though the penalty particularly bothered him.
“We were three up, we stopped a penalty, the ball doesn’t cross the line but it’s given,” said Rossiter.
“The refereeing as a whole, wasn’t happy with it. When two umpires are able to tell Mark Fanning afterwards that the ball didn’t cross the line ... look, I don’t know what the umpires are there for if that’s the case, if you’re not going to use them.
“That’s what I’m being told from Mark. And I looked at the video, the ball didn’t cross the line. I could see it from where I was, I didn’t think it crossed the line. Just not happy with it at all.”
Dublin have testing away trips to Antrim and Kilkenny to come, before wrapping up against Galway back at Parnell Park. Wexford will attempt to pick up the pieces in Round 3 against Galway.
They’ll wonder just how this game escaped them because they led 2-11 to 0-16 at half-time thanks to goals from Rory O’Connor and Cian Byrne.
And they were three clear midway through the second-half after Cathal Dunbar’s goal before the crucial penalty decision which went Dublin’s way.
Captain Lee Chin struck a fourth goal for Wexford at the death but it was only consolation at that stage.
Dublin: E Gibbons; A Dunphy, P Smyth, J Bellew; P Doyle, P Dunleavy (0-1), C Crummey (0-1); C Burke, C Donohoe (0-1); B Hayes (0-2), C O’Sullivan (0-3), D Power (0-2); S Currie (1-11, 0-8f, 1-0 pen), J Hetherton (2-3), R Hayes (0-1).
Subs: C Currie (0-1) for R Hayes 59, C McHugh for Dunphy 63, R McBride for B Hayes 69.
Wexford: M Fanning; C Foley, C Molloy, S Reck; C McGuckin, D Reck (0-1), E Ryan; S Donohoe (0-2), C Hearne (0-2); R Lawlor (0-1), R O’Connor (1-2), C Dunbar (1-1); C Byrne (1-1), L Chin (1-7, 1-5f), K Foley (0-2).
Subs: S Casey for Chin 35-38, Casey for Chin 42-43, L Ryan for Conor Foley 57, Casey for Lawlor 58, S Roche for Donohoe 67, C Byrne Dunbar for Byrne 74.
Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).
