'There will be strange results in this championship' says Dublin boss after edging Wexford shoot-out

Irish Examiner

28-04-2025

Leinster senior hurling championship, Round 2
Dublin 3-26 Wexford 4-19
Before the Leinster championship began, this had the look of a shoot-out for third position in the table and the final qualifying position.
It could yet prove to be just that, with Kilkenny and Galway locking down the two Leinster final positions, in which case Dublin's latest come-from-behind win at Parnell Park will prove significant.
Then again, Wexford were installed as significant favourites before Saturday's trip to Parnell Park, despite not beating Dublin in Leinster since 2018, so you can understand Dublin manager Niall O Ceallachain's unease with assumptions.
"Sure everyone talks about it being like that every year, and it never works out like that," said O Ceallachain of the apparent race to pick up the crumbs behind Kilkenny and Galway.
"I don't understand that conversation because it never works out like that. It's looking at it in a traditional way and making predictions but sure no matter how often people are proven wrong, they keep saying the same thing.
"There are going to be strange results in this Leinster championship that will go against the grain. It will happen in Munster too."
Brian Hayes of Dublin signs hurls after the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 2 match between Dublin and Wexford at Parnell Park in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
What's certain is that O Ceallachain is getting a sweet tune from his Dublin panel who have come from three points behind in the second-half of Leinster SHC games on consecutive Saturdays to win.
They trailed Wexford by that margin with 20 minutes to go, having previously overcome Offaly, when Cian O'Sullivan was hauled down for a penalty.
Sean Currie dispatched it, according to referee Michael Kennedy at least, though every Wexford person in the 7,734 argued that the ball didn't cross the line after goalkeeper Mark Fanning blocked it.
Currie's 'goal' tied the game and momentum swung further in Dublin's direction shortly after with 52nd and 54th minute goals from John Hetherton.
From the nearby St Vincent's club, it was arguably Hetherton's best performance in blue and he finished with 2-3, claiming the Man of the Match gong.
"He was brilliant and we felt he could do that sort of damage on a day like today," said O Ceallachain. "The challenge for Hedgo now is that we need the same in two weeks' time, in three weeks' time, in four weeks' time."
After extracting four points from their two home games, Dublin will travel to Antrim next, followed by Kilkenny. O Ceallachain said he didn't know if injured duo Danny Sutcliffe and Donal Burke would be fit for the trip to Belfast.
"We'll look at it this week, I genuinely don't know," he said.
Dublin put up a decent tally in their absence, surging 0-9 to 1-2 clear in the opening quarter. Rory O'Connor's fourth minute solo goal kept Wexford in it and they eventually came alive in the second quarter. Cian Byrne's 27th minute goal helped them to lead 2-11 to 0-16 at half-time.
Wexford were three points clear when Dublin were awarded that 50th minute penalty. Wexford manager Keith Rossiter was furious with the referee for allowing the goal to stand, as well as an earlier Currie point from a free after Kevin Foley had been adjudged to have thrown the ball.
"I looked at the video - the ball didn't cross the line," said Rossiter of the ghost goal.
In a game that Dublin won by four points, Currie's 1-1 from those placed balls was highly significant.
"There was another one, Conor Hearne was going down the sideline, let the ball in, was hit after the ball had gone and ended up in the hoarding, the ball comes back out, Dublin get a free on the 45 and the referee goes back and books the player that hit Conor Hearne, yet it's a free to Dublin," said Rossiter. "So there's five points.
"I could go back through a couple of decisions like that, that I wouldn't be happy with. I wouldn't be happy with the display at all. I'd normally say nothing, just get on with it, but we played Kilkenny last year, they got a penalty when they were four or five yards outside the big box and I got an apology the following week saying, 'I'm sorry, sorry that this has happened'.
"But it's no good to Matthew O'Hanlon, Dee O'Keeffe and Matthew O'Hanlon who have all retired. That game was in the melting pot at the time."
Scorers for Dublin: S Currie 1-11 (8 frees, 1-0 penalty); J Hetherton 2-3; C O'Sullivan 0-3; B Hayes, D Power 0-2 each; R Hayes, P Dunleavy, C Crummey, C Donohoe, C Currie 0-1 each.
Scorers for Wexford: L Chin 1-7 (1-5 frees); R O'Connor 1-2; C Dunbar, C Byrne 1-1 each; K Foley, C Hearne, S Donohoe 0-2 each; R Lawlor, D Reck 0-1 each.
Dublin: E Gibbons; A Dunphy, P Smyth, J Bellew; P Doyle, P Dunleavy, C Crummey; C Burke, C Donohoe; B Hayes, C O'Sullivan, D Power; S Currie, J Hetherton, R Hayes.
Subs: C Currie 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, E Ryan; S Donohoe, C Hearne; R Lawlor, R O'Connor, C Dunbar; C Byrne, L Chin, K Foley.
Subs: S Casey for Chin (35-38, temp); Casey for Chin (42-43, blood); L Ryan for C Foley (57); Casey for Lawlor (58); S Roche for Donohoe (67); C Byrne Dunbar for Byrne (74).
Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).