Liam Sheedy: Humble Egan got the balance right when Wexford's need was greatest

Just before half-time, when Conor McDonald plucked wonderfully and swivelled to dispatch a piledriver, we waited for the net to shake. Eoin Murphy had other ideas and somehow managed to make the stop and clear the danger.

There is any amount of talk and analysis around the importance of distribution but the primary objective of the goalkeeper is to protect the goals and there is no better man in the game to deliver in this regard than Eoin.

Late in the second half, with Wexford three clear, we had the perfect perch for another incredible passage of play — one loaded with coaching points for attackers and defenders.

Mark Fanning looked to have everything under control with possession secured after a body block by Liam Ryan. But Martin Keoghan gets in a brilliant block on the pass in true workmanlike Kilkenny style. He pulls first time forcing a goal-line save from Matthew O’Hanlon. The ball breaks to TJ Reid who also correctly elects to pull first time and again we wait for the net to shake.

You could watch it back a dozen times and still be astounded at the way Damien Reck manages to position his hurley in the right place at the right angle to block the ball. That feat accomplished, prone on the ground, he shows ridiculous composure to calmly roll lift one-handed and head away from the goals before being upended for a free out.

It was an incredible moment which had us all on our feet in awe of what had just taken place.

Sitting behind me was a Carlow man who was married to a Wexford woman but has followed Kilkenny all his life because of his father. He declared midway through the second half that this is what gets you out of the bed in the morning and how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful game played by marvellous players.

To put a ribbon on the evening, Mikie Dwyer arrived in the 53rd minute, picked up a ball inside his own 45 and set off on a mesmerising run before drilling Wexford four points up. A wonderful individual score.

I am absolutely thrilled for Darragh Egan as I know the level of effort he is putting in. I know how delighted he will be to see it come through on the field.

He and his team had left themselves an uphill battle but deserve enormous credit for delivering when the need was greatest. Especially in Nowlan Park where they’d never won before in championship.

He would have felt fierce pressure after the Westmeath draw but one statistic stood out from that evening. The same night Kilkenny had 45 shots on goal and beat Dublin by 17 points. Wexford had the same number of shots but only returned 21 points. They were creating but not converting.

With five wides in the first 10 minutes Saturday, it looked like a familiar problem would haunt them, but they found their groove in front of goal.

Darragh is a humble guy who has surrounded himself with a great team — a high-performance committee with top-class individuals involved. His attention to detail is top class and I have no doubt Wexford players can focus on hurling content the setup is top class. 

Results like Saturday’s show his leadership is persuasive. There is always a danger, on nights like that, of emotion spilling over and impacting performance. But Darragh is brilliant at getting the balance right. He looks to have made a solid connection with everyone in that group and that is one of his greatest strengths.

The rest of us now await with relish Cody v Shefflin Part II to round off Leinster. Galway’s easy victory in Salthill exposed Dublin’s lack of strength in depth as much as anything. It’s a bitter pill for Mattie Kenny, having put themselves in pole position.

In Munster on Sunday, Brian Lohan confirmed his standing as the manager of the championship so far. Clare blitzed a Waterford team from the get-go despite making six changes and starting without some of their marquee players. 

David Reidy’s goal showed the cohesion in the group and how connected they are to a team-first mindset.

Ian Galvin is heading goalwards and most forwards would take the shot on. But he pops a majestic pass to Reidy who rattles the net. Ian turned a 75% chance into a 95% one and showed us Clare are making decisions for the team.

Waterford were on the ropes after the Cork defeat and Clare showed no mercy in delivering the knockout blow. Not many of us foresaw the team regarded as Limerick’s biggest challengers being gone on May 22nd.

In Thurles, the red was way more visible than the blue and gold. I am struggling to understand how the Tipp public are failing to come out behind the team. It must be deflating for the lads with the effort they put in to represent the county. Look at Limerick, Clare and Cork and the band of followers they attract irrespective of results. It’s high time Tipperary people stood up and got behind the team.

Tipp flew out of the blocks and were 1-3 ahead. But the missed penalty produced a huge six-point swing and the Rebels never looked back from there home with Conor Lehane giving an exhibition of movement and striking in the first half.

There is certainly a path to a semi-final for Cork now and they can take their chances from there. Kieran Kingston will have been thrilled with the reaction from his players after they looked dead and buried following the first two rounds. Maintain their form over the last two weeks and they are a match for most teams.

The dust settles for a fortnight when we will learn loads from the provincial finals. Contenders are lining up for a swing at the perch. But right now I still feel Limerick, with all their key players on the pitch, are the team to beat.