Conor McDonald gawks at the reminder of what happened last time Wexford played Antrim in an All-Ireland under-21 hurling semi-final. Against all odds, expectations, predictions, etc, Wexford lost.
Two years on, the sides meet again in Semple Stadium this Saturday evening. McDonald is one of the few Wexford players from that 2013 team still young enough for the grade this year they won’t be underestimating Antrim this time.
“Yeah, I suppose there was some complacency at the time,” says McDonald, now established as one of Wexford’s most prolific forwards. “When it’s drilled in from the public, you think ‘nah, I’m not thinking that way’ or ‘I’m not going to be complacent’, but there’s so much pressure with people saying we were going to get to an All-Ireland final, and this was an easy game.
Beat anybody
“But over the past five or six years, at under-21 level, anybody can beat anybody. I think that was a good example of it. It’s not really being talked about now, though. Two years on, you’re not going to bring up stuff from the past. It will be in everyone’s head that we do have a point to prove, to right what happened two years ago.
“But it’s a different Wexford side, it’s a different Antrim side, it’s another game. I suppose, from the personal side of things, you think ‘we have to put it right’.”
Wexford's under-21s have put a few things right since 2013, winning a third successive Leinster title this summer, with that immense 17-point victory over Kilkenny in the final. If they get through Saturday, either Galway or Limerick will await them in the final, and McDonald admits part of the incentive is to make up for a poor senior campaign.
“For me, it was nearly a blessing. We played a Leinster under-21 final three days after we were beaten by Cork. It’s tough to turn around but, at the same time, it’s probably a bit easier when you get a victory. But it was a frustrating year, with the seniors, considering the year we had last year. You’d be hoping you could build on it. You do everything you can and it’s a bit of a knock when you’ve done so much work, trying your best and it doesn’t happen for you.
"That's where you gain experience. Maybe I'm being biased, by saying it, but Waterford beat us in Wexford Park. It was a massive win for them. I feel that gave them an extra little boost and they had a great year at senior. We probably needed that one win in the league to boost our chances going into the championship."
