Leinster U21 Hurling Championship Semi-final

WEXFORD 3-15 DUBLIN 3-12

By Michael Devlin at Parnell Park

Two second half goals from supersub Mike Dwyer helped Wexford turn it around in the second half to overcome Dublin by three points on an idyllic summer’s evening in Parnell Park.

Wexford were the more wasteful in front of goal in the opening half and went in at the break three points in arrears, but Dwyer’s cameo and Seamus Casey’s dead ball accuracy helped Tom Mulally’s men book a place in the Leinster final against Galway on July 4th.

Both sides exchanged several wides in the opening minutes before Wexford’s Joe O’Connor and Aaron Maddock opened the scoring with a pair of long range points.

A simple Colin Currie free got Dublin up and running before Donal Burke and Currie again struck over sweet scores from the right wing to move the home side in front.

Currie tagged on another free before Wexford responded again, Stephen O' Gorman doing well to collect possession in the corner and strike over.

Currie took his tally to 1-3 when he slammed home the game’s first goal on 14 minutes.

Joe O’Connor was next on the score-sheet for Wexford, but at the other end the deadly Dublin double act Burke (2) and Currie stretched their lead to six on 20 minutes.

An O’Connor point and three Casey frees, the last one from his own 45, had Wexford on top for a spell before Dublin’s Cian O’Sullivan collect a rebound and fired over for the last action of the half.

The second half was barely 10 seconds home when O’Connor collected a Casey pass to crash home to the net for Wexford, levelling the scores. Two Curries free sandwiched a Casey dead ball as the relentless pace continued.

Wexford’s Rory O’Connor spurned a goal opportunity after cutting in from the left wing, Dublin keeper Dara Perry tipping it around the post, before Casey knocked over his fifth of the evening to tie it up again.

Another Casey free then moved Wexford ahead for the first time since the seventh minute as the game entered its final quarter.

A great team move saw Wexford cut through the defense only for defender Donnacha Ryan to superbly block substitute initial Dwyer’s goal effort. The Fethard man though followed up the rebound to hit the net.

Dublin badly needed a score to regain a grip on the game, but Wexford had their tails up and Casey landed his seventh, his first from play, in the 50th minute. However, a goal via an opportunist flick from Currie kept Dublin in the fight. Wexford’s response came from O Gorman and another Casey free preceded a Daire Gray ’65 for Dublin, and the gap was now three.

Supersub Dwyer then put the daylight between the sides in the 60th minute, showing persistence to force his way through and find the net, despite Perry’s best efforts. Higgins added an insurance point moments later.

In the dying moments, Dublin replacement Eoghan Dunne lashed home a loose ball from the ground, but it mattered little Wexford ran out 3-15 to 3-12 winners.

Scorers for Wexford: Seamus Casey 0-8 (7f), Mikie Dwyer 2-0, Joe O’Connor 1-3, Stephen O Gorman 0-2, Aaron Maddock 0-1, Rory Higgins 0-1.

Scorers for Dublin: Colin Currie 2-6 (3f), Donal Burke 0-3, Eoghan Dunne 0-1, Cian O Sullivan 0-1, Eoghan Conroy 0-1, Daire Gray 0-1 (1 ’65).

WEXFORD: James Heneberry, Sean Barden, Darren Byrne, Conor Firman; Aaron Maddock, Damien Reck, Ian Carthy; Shane Reck, Rowan White; Joe O’Connor, Rory O’Connor, Liam Stafford; Stephen O Gorman, Oisin Foley, Seamus Casey. Subs: Garry Molloy for Conor Firman (20), Rory Higgins for Sean Barden (28), Mikie Dwyer for Oisin Foley (43).

DUBLIN: Dara Perry; Shane Howard, Paddy Smyth, Donnacha Ryan; Eoghan Conroy, Conor Burke, Daire Gray; Fergal Whitely, Conor Ryan; Ciaran Dowling, Paul Crummey, Ronan Hayes; Cian O’ Sullivan, Donal Burke, Colin Currie. Subs: Cian Costello for Cian O Sullivan (36), Lee Gannon for Ciaran Dowling (47), Cian Hendricken for Shane Howard (51), Sean Currie for Fergal Whitely (53).