RTÉ hurling analyst Neil McManus believes patience is the key word for Wexford fans as the Model County just about avoided a couple of shock defeats during the opening rounds of the Allianz Hurling League.
Keith Rossiter's side sit with a 100% record in Division 1B, but the games against Antrim and Down went right to the wire.
In Round 1, goalkeeper Mark Fanning came forward to drill a match-winning free to the net eight minutes into additional time of their home game against Antrim.
On Sunday at McKenna Park, Down fought back to level matters in the final minutes and had all the momentum, but Conor Hearne and Simon Roche points prevented what would have been the shock of the league season so far.
McManus, speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, feels that while two losses would have had fans reaching for the panic button, there does need to be an acceptance of the current situation and the fact that it’s a somewhat experimental side taking to the field.
"I think there needs to be patience, a lot of the guys are tasting inter-county hurling for the first time or maybe their second or third season," he said.
Neil McManus answers a listeners question on the RTÉ GAA Podcast 🎙
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) February 2, 2026
'It cannot be over emphasised the importance of Lee Chin... Ballycran can be a tough place to go I knew it was a tricky assignment... There needs to be patience... The league is positioned nicely for them.' 🗣 pic.twitter.com/65B43P0BTZ
"I think the league is positioned really nicely for them; they’re not going to be challenging Dublin or Clare for the winning of Division 1B.
"But they’re in a very competitive space that if those guys do develop over the next season or two, they’ll get to play some of the big guns and they’ll get opportunities to grow through challenging the likes of Antrim, Down, Kildare and Carlow."
Of all the absences, there’s one name stands out more than most – and McManus feels Wexford can’t truly be judged until he is back on the pitch.
"The vast majority of the Leinster winning team [2019] under Davy (Fitzgerald) are gone and the others, they’re waiting for them to come back nearly.
"It cannot be over-emphasised the importance of Lee Chin to this group. I know he’s back in training but he transforms this team single-handedly.
"Rory O’Connor is now in Australia for what looks like a six-month period, so he won’t play for Wexford this year.
"Some of the other (St) Martin’s lads like Jack (O’Connor) will hopefully be back sooner rather than later, but Antrim felt aggrieved the first day out that they didn’t get the result.
"Ballycran can be a tough place to go in County Down. I’ve been there plenty of times and haven’t managed to get much change. The Ards Peninsula is a great hurling part of the country. I knew that was a tricky assignment for the Wexford lads."
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