“In the second half, you know, those last 10 minutes, we did kind of take off”- Shane O’Brien

By Conor Martin

Dublin U20s Hurling manager Shane O’Brien praised his young Dublin teams’ composure as they navigated a tricky test in the form of Wexford coming out on top 0-18 to 0-14 winners at Parnell Park in the ONeills.com Leinster Under 20 Hurling Championship

There were a number of key performances all over the park, but they were made to work by their Leinster counterparts. Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing top-scored with a tally of nine as Dublin saw off the Wexford challenge. O’Brien recognised the immense effort shown by his players on Wednesday night.

“We seemed to dominate the game, but it wasn't showing on the scoreboard. But in the second half, you know, those last 10 minutes, we did kind of take off and the lads showed real good composure and maturity for players at this level at under 20, I think. It was really a good sign of where they're at.

Once again, our U20s were well supported and O’Brien spoke of how the crowd gave Dublin that lift when they really needed it on Wednesday night.

The crowd did give us energy there on the pitch and it was quite loud, similar to the last game we had here against Offaly. You know, we had huge support and it makes a massive difference. And you know, we're delighted to have that backing and it makes a big difference to the players.

The draw for the semi-finals was made earlier today, as we found out we will be taking on Galway ahead of today’s draw. Last night, reflecting with Dubs TV, O’Brien recognised that the Dubs have a challenge in front of them, whether we were drawn against Kilkenny or Galway, but it’s one that he and the Dublin U20 hurlers are looking forward to.

“Absolutely. It looks like it'll either be Kilkenny or Galway that we'll be facing, you know, like tonight, another big challenge, you know, two strong counties similar to Wexford. And we'll just see what the draw brings us tomorrow and we'll certainly be looking forward to it.”

Dublin step up the pursuit of an eighth provincial title as they take on Galway in the last four of the O’Neills.com Leinster Under 20 Hurling Championship next Wednesday, with throw-in and venue to be confirmed.