Rory O’Connor shoots, Rory O’Connor scores.
There are people on the pitch… they think it’s all over… it is now no, wait, it’s just a young lad swiping a sliotar for himself.
Wexford Park. The home of some of hurling’s greats. The place that David Fitzgerald has rocking on its hinges as he threatens to build an empire. And, now, the scene of the crime.
Wexford and Galway played out some clash in the south east as the league and All-Ireland champions were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Fitz’s men who won 1-23 to 0-23 in the end of another ding-dong battle.
Conor MacDonald got the goal, rebounding in O’Connor’s effort after the full forward went full steam through the Tribesman defence, and, having recovered from a pelvic injury in time to be named on the bench, Lee Chin started and Lee Chin impressed.
Wexford advance to play Kilkenny now in the semi-final of the National Hurling League with Fitzgerald remarking afterwards that he’d only expect two or three hundred people to show up at Wexford Park for the game.
It’s another notch on the manager’s belt, another scalp to take home as a battle trophy but he’s not the only person to leave empty-handed.
One fan is going home with the sliotar and it’s the least he deserves for him opportunism, his quick feet and his brass neck.
And the incident was captured brilliantly by Rocky Ryan, a former Tipperary primary schools star himself.
Wexford vs Galway was great but the real winner was this chief of a young lad pulling off the perfect heist. #AllianzLeagues pic.twitter.com/2hx1GDmT7O
— RockyRyan (@Freefajjen) March 24, 2018
The ball hasn’t even touched the ground yet and the young man makes his move.
The gate opens, he appears from nowhere, swipes the sliotar and makes gets the hell out of there with what looks like might be the absolute delight of his parent.
In the other semi-final, Limerick play the winners of Tipperary or Dublin.
