All-Ireland SHC Qualifiers Round 1 – Clare hung on to beat Wexford by 3pts at Semple Stadium.
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Clare and Wexford will go head to head in Round 1 of the All-Ireland Championship Qualifiers at Semple Stadium in Thurles this coming Saturday at 1:30 pm as part of a double bill with Armagh v Monaghan live on Sky Sports Arena.
Both teams competed with one another in Divison 1 Group B of the Allianz League earlier this year. With Wexford finishing above Clare in 2nd position, a point ahead of their rivals.
When they did meet, Wexford came out with the spoils at Cusack Park in Ennis. Winning by a single point in a close encounter with a scoreline of 1-21 to 2-19.
League games do not really matter when it comes to championship form, but how close their first encounter was with one another, this game should be another hard one to call.
Wexford is coming into this game after losing to Leinster finalist’s Kilkenny after an extra-time classic with a scoreline of 2-37 to 2-29.
Their opponents also fell short in their Munster semi-final tie against Tipperary losing by 4 points.
This will be a repeat of Round 2 of the Qualifiers in last years championship. Clare came out with the victory, with a 7 point winning margin.
Conclusion
Easily one of the hardest games to call this season so far, both teams have a strong case in who is the better team.
It could come down to who will perform on the day, a bad referee decision or whoever’s management team nails their tactics.
All in all, I will have to favour Wexford in this game, they have already shown they can beat Clare, and with Davy Fitzgerald pushing for All-Ireland glory, he will be eager to defeat his former team with a strong showing here.
Prediction: Wexford by 2 points
Predicted Teams – Subject to Change
Clare
- Eibhear Quilligan
- Rory Hayes
- Conor Cleary
- Paul Flanagan
- Diarmuid Ryan
- John Conlon
- Páidà Fitzpatrick
- Colm Galvin
- Cathal Malone
- Aron Shanagher
- Tony Kelly
- Aidan McCarthy
- David Reidy
- Ian Galvin
- Ryan Taylor
Wexford
-
Mark Fanning
- Shane Reck
- Liam Ryan
- Simon Donohoe
- Gavin Bailey
- Matthew O’Hanlon
- Shaun Murphy
- Diarmuid O’Keefe
- Liam Óg McGovern
- Paul Morris
- Lee Chin
- Conor McDonald
- Mikie Dwyer
- Rory O’Connor
- Kevin Foley
Betting
Clare: 8/11
Wexford: 11/8
Draw: 9/1