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Given the news Darren Codd , Simon Donohoe and Cian Molloy will be back in the squad Saturday Keith has a few massive calls to make with the starting 15 and match day 26 . Match ups with Kilkennys main men will be key . Would expect Shane Reck to pick up Eoin Cody. Would be worried about Tj Reid in the air if we start with the back 6 we did last Saturday although they did do well. Think we need Jippo to be ready or Simon who done very well against Tj in the park last year .
We need more out of our forwards on Saturday . Jacko will be more sharp with a game under his belt . Simon Roche and Jack Redmond have got their starting championship debut out of the way now and I expect them to have improved .
We need our workrate to be through the roof , backs need to be touch tight to keep likes of Cody and Tj quiet and we need to be clinical with our chances.
We have enough to win this game on Saturday if we do those 3 things .
I expect one or two changes I expect Darren Codd or James Byrne to start I think we need their intensity and ability to win dirty ball as I expect Saturday to be a dog fight.
If Simon Donohoe or Jippo are 100% fit I think they might start to match up with Tj .
Can't wait for Saturday now forecast looks good it should be a good occasion hopefully we get a big support up to cheer on the lads
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 990 - 22/04/2026 09:01:48
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If I have my maths right, we should be through in 2nd at U20 ahead of Kilkenny
We lost by 14 to Galway (4-13 to 1-08)
KK beat Kildare by 9 (1-16 to 0-10)
We drew with KK
Galway beat KK by 2 (2-18 to 1-19)
We beat Kildare by 23 (5-28 to 2-14)
So we finished with a score difference of +9
KK finished with a score difference of +7
That should be 2nd for us
Should be up against Laois in the QF (Could be away as we were at home to them last year but should be a home game IMO as teams should be incentivised to come 2nd ahead of 3rd)
Beat Laois and we could be away to Dublin in the SF
KK away to Offaly in the QF and then away (Probably neutral tbh) to Galway in the SF
Going by the other group, Dublin are miles ahead of everyone although would guess they're a similar level to us and KK
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1089 - 22/04/2026 21:05:24
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Good win for the u20s tonight. Laois up next in the Quarterfinal.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19309 - 22/04/2026 21:36:21
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Where is the laois game?we have a good under 20 team, who if they play to their ability could reach a leinster final(if we avoid Galway). One game at a time and let just try and get over Laois first.
hunting (Wexford) - Posts: 1203 - 22/04/2026 22:21:28
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Hard to know what exactly to make of the U20 performance given the vast gulf between the two sides but at the same time, they could hardly have done much more
Suppose Kildare had been very defensive in their last two games and had to take the shackles off here as this was a must-win game, played into out hands given how much we scored, we also had to go out and attack given we needed to make up the score difference gap on Kilkenny (Ryan Doran's last minute goal even though we were miles ahead actually was the difference between us getting 2nd and 3rd albeit I think a point would also have ensured 2nd)
Was a fairly straightforward win bar a ten-minute spell (15 mins-25 mins) when we were completely asleep, gave away a really poor point from a short puck-out the the first goal we conceded was very poor
Midfield were very good, Carley was very good, and O'Brien and Ryan Doran did a lot of damage inside, got some decent production off our bench
Again, wouldn't be getting carried away because it was all too easy at times, we just bullied them physically in the middle third and were able to create a tonne of chances, full-back-line a bit of a worry IMO
Would like to see Carley drafted into the senior set-up next year just to blood him in, similar with O'Brien even though he's a year younger, Tipperary had Darragh McCarthy training with them the whole time when he was U19 but not playing, the whole point was to get him ready for 2025, think we should look to do the same with O'Brien (Who by all counts lives, eats, and sleeps hurling)
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1089 - 22/04/2026 22:34:00
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I see Dublin gave Offaly a fair trimming in the other group in the U20 championship tonight. Offaly in turn had narrowly beaten Laois in an earlier round.
Would have to suspect that means that both Offaly and Laois are relatively weak. And while I've been following Wexford teams long enough to know never to take anything for granted, that Kilkenny and Wexford should come through the quarter-finals all right.
That would leave Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny and Wexford in the semi-finals. And with three teams there from one group, it would be an open draw. We'd have to play one of the group winners all right, so we couldn't face Kilkenny, but it's 50-50 whether it'd be Galway or Dublin.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3533 - 22/04/2026 23:17:45
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Replying To Viking66: "Good win for the u20s tonight. Laois up next in the Quarterfinal." Delighted with the under 20 performance last night Sean O Brien has been well earmarked but I was really impressed with our play particularly from midfield up our use of the ball was excellent. Ryan Doran in particular was outstanding he looks like a real player and still has 2 years left u20 as far as I know.
Looking forward to their next game. We will be wary of Laois after last year but I think we should have enough to get over the line. Do we play Galway or Dublin if we do get through or is the draw made?
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 990 - 23/04/2026 09:07:13
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Replying To ElGranSenor: "Hard to know what exactly to make of the U20 performance given the vast gulf between the two sides but at the same time, they could hardly have done much more
Suppose Kildare had been very defensive in their last two games and had to take the shackles off here as this was a must-win game, played into out hands given how much we scored, we also had to go out and attack given we needed to make up the score difference gap on Kilkenny (Ryan Doran's last minute goal even though we were miles ahead actually was the difference between us getting 2nd and 3rd albeit I think a point would also have ensured 2nd)
Was a fairly straightforward win bar a ten-minute spell (15 mins-25 mins) when we were completely asleep, gave away a really poor point from a short puck-out the the first goal we conceded was very poor
Midfield were very good, Carley was very good, and O'Brien and Ryan Doran did a lot of damage inside, got some decent production off our bench
Again, wouldn't be getting carried away because it was all too easy at times, we just bullied them physically in the middle third and were able to create a tonne of chances, full-back-line a bit of a worry IMO
Would like to see Carley drafted into the senior set-up next year just to blood him in, similar with O'Brien even though he's a year younger, Tipperary had Darragh McCarthy training with them the whole time when he was U19 but not playing, the whole point was to get him ready for 2025, think we should look to do the same with O'Brien (Who by all counts lives, eats, and sleeps hurling)" Is there a difference between finishing 2nd and 3rd do we have home advantage for the quarter final? Would have thought Sean O Brien would have trained with the seniors this winter maybe not
Afinestick96 (Wexford) - Posts: 990 - 23/04/2026 09:49:49
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Also on another point - Spratt mentioned something about no representative from 3 of the 4 towns teams on the U20 squad which i suppose is concerning. Enniscorthy have one representative .. Wexford have one representative on the extended panel .. no one from Gorey or New Ross .. No one from St Martins either.
Just reviewing U12 / Rackard League results from this week as it is always a good indicator of how clubs are moving at underage. As we all know rural gaa goes in highs and lows all depending on numbers. Rathnure are definitely on the move again and based on their results last year in underage and their progression in U12 and Rackard League so far this year that conveyer belt is moving again. Blackwater / Ballyhogue have been very strong over the past number of years also Monagear. Can these traditional football clubs get these players through to Adult Hurling?
On the other hand the really strong underage clubs of last 15 years, post Oulart / Rathnure domination of 90s and 00s , are under a little bit more pressure in underage circles currently - Glynn Barntown, Faythe Harriers, Shels, St Martins.
Both Glynn and Harriers were comprehensively beaten at U12 this week in Div 1. St Martins have 3 teams in U12 but are not strong enough to play in Div 1. That said Murrintown are through to Rackard League semi final and they play Blackwater while Bree and Rathnure contest the other semi final. Buffers Alley are humming along nicely at underage and I reckon if they can go win intermediate and return to senior hurling that they have enough talent coming through to remain there for the foreseeable future.
MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 296 - 23/04/2026 09:58:49
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Replying To Afinestick96: "Delighted with the under 20 performance last night Sean O Brien has been well earmarked but I was really impressed with our play particularly from midfield up our use of the ball was excellent. Ryan Doran in particular was outstanding he looks like a real player and still has 2 years left u20 as far as I know.
Looking forward to their next game. We will be wary of Laois after last year but I think we should have enough to get over the line. Do we play Galway or Dublin if we do get through or is the draw made?" I agree that it was good but we can't be getting carried away with it, the proof of the pudding is whether we will be able to do it against better teams
We were all over them in the middle third and they really struggled when not able to go short from puck-outs
We had a load of lads who got free shots in central areas in front of goal, the half-back-line were often able to deliver the ball under no real pressure, and their backs were never able to get out in front of our forwards
Have to credit the lads because there was no complacency on their part and they went about their job properly, no real messing around
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1089 - 23/04/2026 10:20:44
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Replying To Afinestick96: "Is there a difference between finishing 2nd and 3rd do we have home advantage for the quarter final? Would have thought Sean O Brien would have trained with the seniors this winter maybe not" I don't know whether we have home advantage, my logic was that it *should* be the case that whoever comes 2nd should be rewarded for doing so by getting a home game against whoever comes 3rd in the other group
And similarly, I think whoever comes 1st *should* be rewarded with a home SF (Not possible in Galway's case due to the distances between counties)
I also think if 2nd and 3rd from the same group make it to the SFs, then 2nd *should* play 1st from the other group and 3rd *should* play 1st from their other group
Because in that case, one group is stronger than the other and I don't see why 3rd *should* be rewarded by facing 1st from the weaker group than 1st from the stronger group
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1089 - 23/04/2026 10:24:56
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Replying To Viking66: "Why do you think that?" Think last time we played Waterford was in Walsh park. We won the same day I actually vaguely remember playing them in Wexford. We played Offaly at home last time Jacko got a straight red.
Sean o Brien I believe played in a challenge match in January and scored 1 4. Chap is only 18 but hopefully comes on the scene next year
Wexfordgaa (Wexford) - Posts: 387 - 23/04/2026 10:49:40
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Replying To Afinestick96: "Delighted with the under 20 performance last night Sean O Brien has been well earmarked but I was really impressed with our play particularly from midfield up our use of the ball was excellent. Ryan Doran in particular was outstanding he looks like a real player and still has 2 years left u20 as far as I know.
Looking forward to their next game. We will be wary of Laois after last year but I think we should have enough to get over the line. Do we play Galway or Dublin if we do get through or is the draw made?" A draw for semi-finals wouldn't be made until after the quarter-finals are played, because if quarter-final results go a certain way, a semi-final draw wouldn't be necessary in the first place.
For example, let's say we lose to Laois. That would leave Galway, Dublin, Kilkenny and Laois in the semis, and so you avoid repeat pairings with Galway v Laois and Dublin v Kilkenny.
Or if Offaly beat Kilkenny - then it would be Dublin v Wexford and Galway v Offaly.
It's only if both Wexford and Kilkenny win their quarter-finals that a draw would become necessary. But as outlined above, Offaly and Laois seem relatively weak (on paper anyway), so it could well turn out that way all right.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3533 - 23/04/2026 11:01:46
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Replying To Afinestick96: "Is there a difference between finishing 2nd and 3rd do we have home advantage for the quarter final? Would have thought Sean O Brien would have trained with the seniors this winter maybe not" Honestly don't know. Had a look at the competition page on the Leinster GAA website, and what it says for quarter-final line-ups is this:
Second in Group 1 v Third in Group 2
Second in Group 2 v Third in Group 1
That would suggest that the teams in second place would have home advantage, since they're listed first. But it's not as simple as that! Because right above it, I notice that last night's fixture was put up this way:
Kildare v Wexford, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 7.30 p.m.
So, it's obvious that the first team listed in any fixture there doesn't necessarily have home advantage. We'll have to wait and see.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3533 - 23/04/2026 11:04:43
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Replying To Afinestick96: "Is there a difference between finishing 2nd and 3rd do we have home advantage for the quarter final? Would have thought Sean O Brien would have trained with the seniors this winter maybe not" He played in the TOTY v Wexford selection in Pats Park.....
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19309 - 23/04/2026 11:48:44
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Replying To Wexfordgaa: "Think last time we played Waterford was in Walsh park. We won the same day I actually vaguely remember playing them in Wexford. We played Offaly at home last time Jacko got a straight red.
Sean o Brien I believe played in a challenge match in January and scored 1 4. Chap is only 18 but hopefully comes on the scene next year" We were away to Clare and Dublin this year and they both went up so I think we just get the reverse fixtures next year, that'd mean Waterford and Offaly at home
Don't think where we played either Waterford or Offaly the last time comes into it tbh
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1089 - 23/04/2026 12:29:44
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Replying To MyOhMi: "Also on another point - Spratt mentioned something about no representative from 3 of the 4 towns teams on the U20 squad which i suppose is concerning. Enniscorthy have one representative .. Wexford have one representative on the extended panel .. no one from Gorey or New Ross .. No one from St Martins either.
Just reviewing U12 / Rackard League results from this week as it is always a good indicator of how clubs are moving at underage. As we all know rural gaa goes in highs and lows all depending on numbers. Rathnure are definitely on the move again and based on their results last year in underage and their progression in U12 and Rackard League so far this year that conveyer belt is moving again. Blackwater / Ballyhogue have been very strong over the past number of years also Monagear. Can these traditional football clubs get these players through to Adult Hurling?
On the other hand the really strong underage clubs of last 15 years, post Oulart / Rathnure domination of 90s and 00s , are under a little bit more pressure in underage circles currently - Glynn Barntown, Faythe Harriers, Shels, St Martins.
Both Glynn and Harriers were comprehensively beaten at U12 this week in Div 1. St Martins have 3 teams in U12 but are not strong enough to play in Div 1. That said Murrintown are through to Rackard League semi final and they play Blackwater while Bree and Rathnure contest the other semi final. Buffers Alley are humming along nicely at underage and I reckon if they can go win intermediate and return to senior hurling that they have enough talent coming through to remain there for the foreseeable future." Was thinking recently that a lot of those good Rathnure sides backboned good Wexford sides and that it's hard to get a good Wexford side without having a good Rathnure side
Suppose you can say the same for the Alley and Oulart, these two and Rathnure don't do much football (Alley do a little bit), if they're not pushing ahead of other teams given they're 100% hurling, you'd be a little bit worried
Was listening to Éamon Cleary on the Wexford Hurling Podcast, he was making the point that Cushinstown were joined up with Rathnure at underage level back in his day and because Rathnure didn't do football, they used to go to Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, and Cork to play practice matches and tournaments where there were underage football games on in Wexford
You'd imagine if Oulart and Rathnure were doing stuff like that at underage these days, they'd be hard to beat
ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1089 - 23/04/2026 12:53:42
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Replying To ElGranSenor: "We were away to Clare and Dublin this year and they both went up so I think we just get the reverse fixtures next year, that'd mean Waterford and Offaly at home
Don't think where we played either Waterford or Offaly the last time comes into it tbh" Yeah, that's my understanding as well. Next year's Waterford & Offaly "become" this year's Clare & Dublin for the purposes of deciding home & away in fixtures. And since we were away to both this year, we'll be home to both next year.
Similarly at the other end. Next year's Laois & Kerry "become" this year's Carlow & Down.
Think the higher team coming up (Laois) "become" the higher of the teams going down (Carlow). In that case, since we were home to Carlow this year, we'd be away to Laois next year. The good news there is we'd have Kerry at home instead of having that long drive!
Basically then, next year would be home to Waterford, Offaly, and Kerry, and away to Antrim, Kildare, and Laois.
Anyway, if it just always went on "where did we play last?", then a county could actually end up in a group sometime with five or six other teams where they'd either played them all away the last time they met, or played them all at home. So that county would have either all home games or all away games in that year's League. And that obviously couldn't be allowed happen.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3533 - 23/04/2026 13:37:26
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Replying To ElGranSenor: "Was thinking recently that a lot of those good Rathnure sides backboned good Wexford sides and that it's hard to get a good Wexford side without having a good Rathnure side
Suppose you can say the same for the Alley and Oulart, these two and Rathnure don't do much football (Alley do a little bit), if they're not pushing ahead of other teams given they're 100% hurling, you'd be a little bit worried
Was listening to Éamon Cleary on the Wexford Hurling Podcast, he was making the point that Cushinstown were joined up with Rathnure at underage level back in his day and because Rathnure didn't do football, they used to go to Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, and Cork to play practice matches and tournaments where there were underage football games on in Wexford
You'd imagine if Oulart and Rathnure were doing stuff like that at underage these days, they'd be hard to beat" Back in his day there were maybe only 3 or 4 underage games a year in Wexford
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19309 - 23/04/2026 13:51:42
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Replying To ElGranSenor: "Was thinking recently that a lot of those good Rathnure sides backboned good Wexford sides and that it's hard to get a good Wexford side without having a good Rathnure side
Suppose you can say the same for the Alley and Oulart, these two and Rathnure don't do much football (Alley do a little bit), if they're not pushing ahead of other teams given they're 100% hurling, you'd be a little bit worried
Was listening to Éamon Cleary on the Wexford Hurling Podcast, he was making the point that Cushinstown were joined up with Rathnure at underage level back in his day and because Rathnure didn't do football, they used to go to Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, and Cork to play practice matches and tournaments where there were underage football games on in Wexford
You'd imagine if Oulart and Rathnure were doing stuff like that at underage these days, they'd be hard to beat" Loads of clubs go away quite a bit these days. Our u12s are heading up to Clara in Kilkenny Saturday, then onto the match. We were away in Clara and Kilenaule in Tipp last year with our u14s. Craanford were up at the same tournament in Clara. We played eachother in the final up there, no Kilkrnny trams in it! We play Tullogher-Rosbercon too. And we are only div4.
Oulart and Rathnure still play outside the county at underage regularly too, as do Barntown, St Martins etc. Go as far as to say most Wexford clubs probably do.
Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19309 - 23/04/2026 14:04:18
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