Wexford display ‘nowhere near good enough to challenge Kilkenny’ – Fitzgerald

*David Fitzgerald gets away from Shane Reck. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill

An All-Ireland semi-final with Kilkenny is now occupying the thoughts of Clare’s senior hurlers and a big improvement is needed, one of their key forwards has said.

Securing their place in the last four was made possible due to the impact from the bench on Saturday in their 1-24 3-14 win over Wexford.

That’s the view of midfielder David Fitzgerald, scorer of Clare’s opening point. Speaking to The Clare Echo, Inagh/Kilnamona clubman said “the bench really got us over the line and SOD’s (Shane O’Donnell) last fifteen minutes was one of the best individual championship displays that I’ve seen”.

Fitzgerald continued, “lads toughed it out. Shan (Aron Shanagher) had some impact off the bench. The way Wexford set up it is man to man for sixty minutes, it’s high intensity the way they play. To an extent they ran out of gas and our fresh legs from the bench kicked in”.

Fitzgerald agreed that “it was always going to be hard to repeat the intensity of the Munster final agains Limerick. There were lots of tired bodies after that game. We were slow to get going today but the bench made the difference”.

Asked if it had been difficult to focus on Saturday’s game given the publicity with regard to the proposed suspensions for Rory Hayes and Peter Duggan he said “not really, everyone stuck to their task. We expected to be without the two lads and that’s what we planned for. Having them was a massive bonus”.

Facing Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final will be “a new challenge, they are a great team, they are Leinster champions and today’s display won’t get us anywhere near what will be required. We will have to knuckle down again for two weeks time”.