Davy Fitzgerald is the key man for Wexford this weekend because of his experience in All-Ireland finals – that's the view of Ursula Jacob.
It’s 12 years since the Yellow Bellies last featured in the final four and none of the current players have experience at this stage of the competition – that’s why Jacob feels that Fitzgerald’s know-how will be key.
The double All-Ireland winning camogie star says the Wexford manager has been seen it all before, winning Liam MacCarthy as a player and a manager with his native Clare.
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"This is a new thing for Wexford to be in an All-Ireland semi-final because none of the players have been at this stage before and that’s why Davy is going to be key because he has been there, done that" said Jacob, speaking on the latest episode of the RTÉ GAA Podcast.
"He has that experience and he’ll want his players to revel in that situation, he’ll want them to be looking forward to it, but also stay focused on what they need to do.
"There’s very little you can do about the hype and expectation around Wexford, you can only control what you can control, and I expect a massive following from Wexford like there always is."
The Model County are in action against Tipperary, who were well beaten in the Munster final and did what they had to do in the quarter-final against Laois, in Croke Park on Sunday.
Wexford haven't played in an All-Ireland semi-final since 2007, when Jacob’s brothers Rory and Michael were part of the team.
Their Leinster final win over Kilkenny was just their second Bob O’Keeffe Cup triumph since 1997, so this is new ground for this team.
They lost the provincial final following a disappointing performance against Galway in 2017 and Jacob says the improvements in the team since then are clear to see.
"The buzz and the excitement has been great since the Leinster final. One thing I would say if you compare it to two years ago when we got to the Leinster final against Galway, the build-up to this year’s Leinster final was that bit different," he expalined.
"I think the occasion got to the players last time, but there’s a calmness and a maturity within the set-up and within the management team. Wexford are playing with a greater freedom, the guys have matured under Davy Fitzgerald. "
