Liam Dunne unhappy with Parnell Park as venue for replay with Dublin

Wexford manager sent out a starting 15 that showed seven personnel changes from the one in the programme

Liam Dunne is in full-on Brando mode as he leans back outside the Wexford dressingroom. All he's short of is the leather jacket and the biker hat. What's he rebelling against? Whaddya got?

He fielded the dummy team to end all dummy teams, sending out a starting 15 that showed seven personnel changes from the one in the programme and 14 positional ones. Even the goalkeeper was wearing number 16.

He’ll likely get a flea in his ear for it as the week goes by. Does he care?

“Not particularly, no. I’m managing the team and I’ll do it whatever way I like. I wore the Maor Foirne last year and sure I was going to be put in the stand and I was going to be fined and going to be suspended.

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"It wouldn't have been my first time being suspended. If I feel like doing it that way then that's how I'll do it."

Replay venue
Next on his hitlist was the fixing of the replay for Parnell Park. Wexford haven't played a championship match in Croke Park since 2008 and in Dunne's view the fact that Parnell Park is Dublin's county ground is immaterial.

“They shouldn’t be bringing a game like this to Parnell Park,” he said.

“They’re on about wanting to promote hurling and look after the so-called weaker teams and the second tier teams but I think really they don’t give a s***.

"This is our main pitch down here in Wexford. I wonder what would have happened if we had brought it to Belfield? I think we deserve to be in Croke Park if it's a replay. If the Dublin footballers drew with Wexford down here tomorrow in the Leinster football championship, it would be in Croke Park. It wouldn't be in Parnell Park."

Anthony Daly is no lover of the Donnycarney pitch either, of course. "Hopefully, they'll cut the grass," was his reply to the prospect of playing the replay there.

Of more concern was the comprehensive cleaning out his attack underwent, something they will have to change in the coming week.

“I thought our half-forward line lost its shape, got dragged back the field.

“We tried to talk about that during the week but the natural instinct is to go back and help when we didn’t need to. And it was the same with us in the first half, our half-backs looked to be on top. We just have to keep our line a bit better and keep the presence a bit better.”

Malachy Clerkin

Malachy Clerkin

Malachy Clerkin is a sports writer with The Irish Times