Wexford
By John Harrington
14,500 tickets have already been sold for the Leinster SHC Final between Wexford and Galway.
The novelty of the pairing and the fact that both teams have enjoyed such successful years to date has heightened the anticipation for the clash on July 2.
So much so, that an attendance of anywhere north of 45,000, and maybe even going beyond the 50,000 barrier has been projected.
That would far out-strip the 29,377 that attended last year’s Leinster Final between Kilkenny and Galway.
The highest Leinster Final attendance of recent years was generated by another novel pairing – Dublin and Galway in 2013 – when 36,657 were in Croke Park, but those numbers will also be dwarfed this year.
Excitement in Wexford is already hitting fever-pitch ahead of the County’s first Leinster Final since 2008 and team manager Davy Fitzgerald admits dealing with the occasion will be a challenge for his young players.
David Redmond is the only survivor from the Wexford team who were beaten in the 2008 Leinster Final Kilkenny nine years ago who’ll see action again this time around.
And Fitzgerald says he’s slightly worried that his young team’s inexperience of the big day and the novelty of playing in front of such of a massive crowd might be something they struggle to cope with.
“Any Leinster Final is an ordeal, but for Galway they have experience of it, we haven't experienced it,” says Fitzgerald.
“Am I worried we could fall flat on the day? Because the most the lads have played in front of is 20 to 25 thousand. We're probably going to hit 45,000 the next day, that bracket I'd imagine.
"So it's going to be the biggest crowd they've played in front of and they haven't played in Croke Park on a big day. I don't know how we'll react, I'm just hoping that we'll work and give it everything."
Galway supporters
Wexford supporters will certainly believe anything is possible after watching their team beat Kilkenny in the Leinster Semi-Final, and Fitzgerald admits the bond between them and the team is something special right now.
“I love the supporters getting behind them and they have a number of times this year,” he said.
“There's been one or two games when we've been under pressure and they've really gotten behind them.
“The last day I felt they were holding back because they were afraid, 'Are we going to slip up again or is something going to happen?'
“Over the last number of years they haven't had a whole pile to shout about. They hadn't beaten Kilkenny in League or Championship for a good while.
“To do that in their own back-yard, I could see the relief on them and it was great.”
Tickets for the Leinster SHC Final between Wexford and Galway can be purchased here.
