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Wexford 3-31
Down 0-6
Brendan McGourty was Downs man of the
match and top scorer on the day with 4
points
In their worst
display of the year Down scored only 6
points as they limped to the end of
their League Division 1 fixtures with a
34 point defeat away to Wexford. Down
started the game nervously and never
looked anything less than a team
expecting defeat. The defence was
continuously picked apart with only
Captain Stephen Murray and Fintain
Conway showing they had the heart and
ability to play at this level.
A disinterested
forward line was little better. Emmett
Trainor, their top scorer in the league
this year, and Paddy Coulter may feel
aggrieved at being substituted around
half time whilst others who had fared
little better were left on. The only
forward to score from play was Kieran
Courtney. A Gareth Johnston free
brought the forwards’ tally to 2 points
during the hour’s hurling. The play of
the midfield contrasted with the rest of
the team. Midfielder Andy Savage was
tenacious as ever with midfield partner
Brendan McGourty knocking over four long
range points.
But it was Wexford
who ran the game throughout. A solid
half back line proved the corner stone
of their team that allowed corner
forward Rory Jacob to rack up 2-6.
Wexford knew before the match they
needed a 13 point win to progress to the
league playoffs and they got more than
twice that.
At the beginning of
the league winning the Christy Ring was
stressed as the goal for the year for
the Down team. The league was
presumably to be used as training
towards this. Whilst the footballers
have taken a trial and error approach to
the league and are using it as a means
for blooding new players (two of them
hurlers), the hurlers don’t seem to have
had a similar approach. Without it they
have gained little from a 34 point
defeat.
Down team:-
Graham Clarke, L
Clarke, S Murray (Capt.), F Conway, M
Ennis, P Hughes, Gabriel Clarke, A.
Savage, B McGourty, C. Sloan, K
Courtney, G Johnston, E Clarke, E
Trainor, P Coulter
Subs C McManus for P
Coulter (half time), D Flynn for E
Trainor (40mins) |
