Rory Jacob- "This game holds the key to our season"

This is it, the day all players wait for all year, this is the day you are really judged. The players this week will know that there is something different about this week than any other. You are going up against opponents of the highest calibre and you don’t want to leave anything to chance. Its the longest week of the year. It’s harder to sleep this week than any other, some may not sleep at all, in training some up the ante while others hold a little back, in the warm up your body feels like you have never trained before as you struggle to find that second wind, while in the dressing room there is a sense of anticipation and excitement as the big moment approaches. Nothing else really matters this week,except Sunday. And then it starts, the game is faster, the crowd is more colourful , more electric, more excited, the tackles are harder, every ball is earned and every moment is vital to the result. God I wish I could still play.

This is championship.

Huge game

And so onto Sunday. This match against Dublin is the start of our campaign and a huge game in the context of our year.

A week after beating Galway in the league quarter final Kilkenny rolled into town and took the wind out of our sails after a very promising league campaign. I’m hoping that this reversal at the hands of our fiercest rivals has served to refocus the minds, heighten our efforts and above all keep us grounded and know that our levels need to be at their very highest at all times and against all teams for us to have any chance of success. During the game against Kilkenny, for me, we were exposed again defensively ,we lacked the energy and enthusiasm that we normally have under Davy and we looked a little devoid of ideas when our plan of half backs and midfielders being a big source of scores broke down. To progress in this championship these things need to improve especially, so it’s going to be interesting to witness how much we have improved since the league in the next few weeks.

League form goes out the window

For me the league is the league and is

obviously important and at a very high level, but championship is a whole other ball game and this is what every team would have in the back of their mind every day since training began in the winter. Last weekend against Kilkenny Dublin showed that league form goes out the window and for our lads it’s a case of forewarned is forearmed, so I expect us to be prepared for everything they throw at us. Dublin are dangerous and they will not fear Wexford. Make no mistake they will have targeted this game. After all we have not beaten them in championship since 2008.

Keys to success

The keys to success on Sunday:

Start hard and fast- no matter what way Dublin try to dress it up last Sunday’s Kilkenny match was a massive lost opportunity and it will be difficult for them to lift themselves to the same heights again especially if we come at them early with all guns blazing. To put so much into a game and get nothing from it is hugely deflating and the Wexford lads must capitalise on this, tear into things from the off and go for the jugular. If we allow them settle and find their stride the confidence they showed last week will come flooding back.
Keep goals to a minimum- I’m not sure the Dublin attack have the capacity to get a high score without them. The key here is to try to nullify Liam Rushe who caused serious problems for Kilkenny. Shaun Murphy will have to help out Liam Ryan defensively to stop the ball getting to him and by providing an extra body to stop the powerful Dublin man. Ryan for his part needs to stop Rushe from turning as he is very hard to stop when he turns towards goal.
Get quality ball consistently into our full forward line- they have the capacity to cause damage if given the service. The inside men must show for the ball in the spaces and demand that they are given it at the right time. The ball must go either to the side of the Dublin sweeper Sean Moran or over his head, it cannot land in the no go area between the 21 and 45. The responsibility for this lies with Shaun Murphy our sweeper ,who gets on a lot of free ball, our two wing backs and Kevin Foley at midfield who has the vision to give quality 40 yards passes when in possession. The Dublin half back line of Crummey, O Donnell and Barrett is their strongest line on the field so our half forwards will be under pressure to break even against their opponents but it’s their full back line that I think could be exposed if we test them enough.
A big performance from Lee Chin- For me I would play him in midfield where I think he is most effective and is involved in the game all the time. Remember this is where he gave the performance of a lifetime against Kilkenny last year. Chin at his best takes the team to another level,strikes fear into the opposition and has the power and pace to dominate any game and any player when he is on song.

A lot at stake

This is a tough game for us but one we can win with the right application and attitude. Dublin have the advantage of playing a game already which puts them ahead on match sharpness but on the other hand we should be fresh and hungry for road and hopefully the lads come determined to prove the Kilkenny game was not a true reflection of the team. I think we have enough to win but it will require big performances all over the field. Qualification will be very difficult,if we don’t get over the line in this one, as we will have to beat either Galway or Kilkenny in order to do so which would be tough. There is a lot at stake with two years of hard work on the line and that,along with the fact we have more firepower, is why I expect the Wexford team to come out on top at the end of the game.