Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald conceded that his team were "chasing shadows" during the second half in their nine-point defeat to Galway in Sunday's Leinster hurling final.
However, he was left to rue a six or seven minute spell before half-time when Wexford carelessly surrendered the initiative.
After 26 minutes, Wexford led by 0-10 to 0-08 and the pre-match favourites appeared unsettled.
However, Galway plundered a few straightforward points in advance of half-time and entered the dressing room at the break with a three point lead.
The RTÉ Sunday Game Live panel were slightly bemused that Galway held the half-time lead and praised Wexford's vigour and enterprise in the opening period.
It's a bemusement that Fitzgerald seems to share.
Speaking on The Sunday Game on RTÉ2, the former Waterford and Clare boss said that Wexford should not have trailed by three points at the break.
"We were chasing shadows in the second half," he said.
"I don't believe we should have been three down at half-time. I thought in the last six or seven minutes of the first half that we let it slip coming into half-time.
Despite a purposeful start to the second half, the Model County would effectively lose the game in the ten-minute period between the 41st and 51st when Galway hit 0-07 on the trot.
Fitzgerald said that Wexford could have little complaint with the result.
"And then we actually had a good start in the first five minutes after half-time, had a goal opportunity, had a point opportunity," he said.
"Had we got them, it might have made things closer. But on the day we can have no complaints."
