Neil McManus backing Wexford to have last laugh over Dublin

admin admin | 04-23 16:15

Neil McManus says he still fancies Wexford to finish ahead of Dublin in the Leinster SHC round robin and thus extend their summer beyond the province.

The Slaneysiders were on top against the Dubs on their home patch at Clonard on Sunday but somehow contrived to draw a game they led by five points heading into added time.

The draw keeps both counties in the hunt for both a Leinster final spot and a top-three finish, which would see them secure passage to the All-Ireland Championships.

But for McManus, whose native Antrim will welcome Wexford to Corrigan Park on Saturday, it's the purple and gold who will finish on top of the sky blues, rather than the other way round.

"They're a more potent attacking force than Dublin. They have an unbelievable forward line when it's fit. I think Wexford will put up bigger scores as they move through the championship.

"They also have a better chance of getting a result - maybe another draw - against Galway or Kilkenny. The final game for Wexford in the [Leinster] championship is away to Kilkenny in Nowlan Park and they love that fixture.

"Who knows what will happen but I think Wexford are a better side than Dublin and I think they'll be quietly confident that they can do something against Galway and Kilkenny and reach that Leinster final still.

"That will still remain their aim at the moment."

Wexford were Leinster champions five years ago, while Dublin reached the provincial decider most recently two years later.

Since then, Leinster been dominated by Kilkenny, with Galway losing out to them in the last two finals. Later this year, the Cats will be aiming to complete a five-in-a-row of provincial crowns.

If Wexford are to reach the final, they'll likely have to win three of their remaining games. A third placed finish would see them requiring at least two wins, as well as doing better than the Dubs' against the Cats and the Tribesmen.

And with just six days to turn things around before the trip to Antrim, McManus says it'll be a challenge for manager Keith Rossiter to lift his players.

"They introduced a few of their better known players [against Dublin] who they had done without in the league. Keith Rossiter had pulled off a bit of a masterclass in the league without so many of his top personnel.

"But that will feel like a defeat."



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