Rising Dublin star Eoghan O’Donnell is hoping that the Boys in Blue can pull off a Championship double over Wexford in the coming days.
First up is Saturday night’s clash between the counties’ seniors at Croke Park in a provincial quarter final.
Then, ten days later on 1 June, they meet again at the Under-21 grade with a place in Leinster semi-final against either Kilkenny or Westmeath the prize for the winners.
“Saturday night is the first one up so that’s the one we’re really focusing on,” said O’Donnell, speaking to RTÉ Sport.
“We’re taking it game-by-game. Wexford are obviously a very good team, but we’re confident in our own abilities.
“We’re playing them twice in-a-row. We have them in Croke Park on Saturday at the start of the senior championship and then the following Wednesday week we’re out against Wexford again in Wexford Park so it’s two tough games.”
Dublin are favourites to win on Saturday, but at the Under-21 grade the Yellow Bellies are going for a four in-a-row of Leinster titles and have much of the team back that lost last year’s All-Ireland final to Limerick.
O’Donnell noted: Wexford, especially in Under-21, they have been knocking on the door for a few years so they’ll be looking to make the step.
“I know a good few of their players, it’s their last year this year, so they’ll be looking to push on.”
Wexford haven’t beaten the Dubs in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship since 2008 when they won after a replay, losing three and drawing once of the four meetings since.
Yellow Bellies’ sharpshooter Conor McDonald, who will lead the line against Dublin in both games, is looking to put that record straight. The pair were speaking at the launch of the Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship on Tuesday.
O’Donnell was brought into the Dublin senior squad last year and he has nailed down a starting spot in 2016 under manager Ger Cunningham, starting in all five Allianz League games.
The 20-year-old DCU business student is delighted to have nailed down a starting spot in the springtime and now he’s determined to hold on to the jersey during the summer.
“This is my first year getting game-time, my second year on the panel, so it has been a big year for me,” said the man from Whitehall Colmcille, which isn’t one of the capital’s traditional hurling strongholds.
“I got a good run in the League so I’m happy with that. I’m hoping to keep my place for Championship and build on that because there’s competition there.”
You can watch live coverage of Dublin-Wexford in the Leinster SHC quarter-final on RTÉ One and RTE Player from 6.35pm on Saturday and follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie.
