The first high-profile assignment of Henry Shefflin’s tenure awaits the Galway senior hurlers on Sunday as Wexford travel to Pearse Stadium for a tasty National League encounter.
Both counties come into the contest with 100 per cent records after two rounds and will be keen to lay down markers ahead of their Leinster championship opener on the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
Wexford may be a little less box office since Davy Fitzgerald has departed the scene, but his successor Darragh Egan has certainly hit the ground running with commendable displays at home to Limerick and away against Clare, quickly erasing the hurt of a Walsh Cup final hammering at the hands of Dublin.
The Slaneysiders showed plenty of grit in a low-scoring encounter against the All-Ireland champions, with Mikey Dwyer’s contentious goal the decisive strike in a 1-11 to 0-11 win.
At Cusack Park last time out, it was the O’Connor brothers, Jack and Rory, who took centre stage against a Clare side minus some star names, with Rory pilfering 1-4 in the opening period, and Jack’s assured free-taking, plus a second goal from Diarmuid O’Keeffe, steering Wexford to a deserved 2-20 to 1-20 victory.
Egan, a former coach of his native county Tipperary during Liam Sheedy’s reign, has signalled that Wexford will be moving towards a more traditional approach rather than employing extra defenders, so it will be interesting to see how they approach this fixture.
The last two league meetings between the two counties were the quarter-finals of 2018 and 2019, with the home side prevailing on each occasion. In 2017, Wexford was the last side to get the better of Galway that year when overturning a six-point deficit late on in Salthill.
Galway will be desperate to build on the positivity from their victory over Limerick under the lights of the Gaelic Grounds. Shefflin held his own in the sideline battle with John Kiely and appears to be constantly seeking more effort and application from his players.
With Evan Niland now back in contention following his exploits with NUIG, it will be interesting to see if he is handed back the free-taking duties given how well Conor Cooney fared against Limerick. Daithí Burke was exposed somewhat for Aaron Gillane’s opening goal before recovering well with the help of Jack Grealish, and he will have another task dealing with Conor McDonald.
Galway undoubtedly have plenty of firepower of their own to call on, but will need scores to be added consistently from further afield. Joseph Cooney and Ronan Glennon certainly ticked that box against Limerick and may yet develop into a solid midfield pairing, with Fintan Burke’s contribution an added bonus.
During phase two of this league campaign Shefflin and his backroom team will be keen to formulate a starting 15 to tame Wexford in April. Producing another solid performance and avoiding any major injuries will surely be ranked as a successful outing.
