With both sides losing their respective opening games to Cork, this was, in effect, an All-Ireland quarter-final. Whichever team won would face Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final on August 20. With their male counterparts advancing to that stage of their competition on Sunday (and will now face Kilkenny on the weekend of August 20-21) it could have been some weekend for the caman in the county.

Yet, it was not to be. Galway were unable to reach the same level of intensity they showed against Cork and, if anything, had an appearance of a team going through the motions. Everything they did, every move, every strike, was laboured and, at times, they seemed dead on their feet.

One could be forgiven if they asked where was the Galway they had seen throughout the league or, indeed, in Pairc Uí Rínn just a month ago. Simply, this was a Galway team out of sorts. Maybe credit should be given to Wexford for smothering Galway's creativity, but that would be given the Leinster women a little too much credit and letting Sharon Glynn's ladies somewhat off the hook.

If credit is to be handed out, it should be placed at the feet of the Galway defence, who, for so long in the second half, held out against a pressing Wexford side. However, while they may have excelled on occasion for their defensive duties, the delivery of possession from the half-backs and midfield to the forwards was woeful. The quick ball that Galway's inside forwards thrive on never came, with each move towards the Wexford goal slow and unsure. The end result was some terrible camogie.

One Galway supporter could be heard at half-time, at which Galway led 0-5 to 0-4, saying this was a great contest. Maybe on the planet Zog, but down on planet Earth, it was truly awful to watch. It lacked fluency and passion. On too many occasions the contest was reduced to nothing more than spade work as the sliotar went to ground. The ruck that subsequently formed resembled a hoard of diggers working on a grave.

That said, Galway did deserve to lead at the break, just like they did against the Leesiders. Galway corner backs Regina Glynn and Nicola Gavin were competing diligently, captain Therese Maher was successfully anchoring the half-back line, Brenda Hanney was running the midfield sector, while Aine Hillary was cutting a swagger up front.

After the first quarter, they held a 0-3 to 0-2 advantage. Ursula Jacob and Kate Kelly (45) scored for the visitors in the first and sixth minutes, but points from Aine Hillary and Lourda Kavanagh ensured Galway gained the upper hand in the early stages.

When Collette Glennon shot over a good score, after a prolonged build-up involving Kavanagh (2), on 19 minutes, the anticipation grew that Galway would begin to cut a dash. They didn't and there only score in the remaining minutes was a converted free from Kavanagh, following a foul on Kinvara's Veronica Curtin.

Galway should have been more ahead. They struck four first half wides (in comparison to Wexford's one) while an effort from Orla Kilkenny on goal on 25 minutes never looked like beating Wexford keeper Margaret Darcy.

Wexford, on the other hand, just kept plugging away. Kelly struck a neat point on 23 minutes, before adding another from a free in injury time. It kept them in touch, when, to be honest, they should have been out of sight at the interval.

Galway were only to score two more points in the contest and both came from the stick of Kavanagh. A foul on Hillary earned a free on 32 minutes, Galway's ace markswoman Kavanagh converting, before Brenda Kerins was hacked down as she filed through on goal on 36 minutes, allowing Kavanagh the opportunity once again to find the target. At 0-7 to 0-4 in front, one could have put money on Galway. Amazing though, they were only to have one more shot at the posts for the remaining 24 minutes of the contest.

Wexford began to take control, with Kelly finding her feet in midfield. She knocked over another 45 on 39 minutes, before hitting a long range free five minutes later. That said, Wexford continued to chase the game entering the final quarter.

And then came the breakthrough. A foul on Michelle Hearne inside the Wexford half on 53 minutes halted play for a few moments, in which time the victors gained at least 15 yards of an advantage from where the foul was committed. The referee never spotted it though, neither did the linesmen, or any of the Galway contingent, for there was no protest.

The resultant free was subsequently taken, the ball breaking inside the penalty area. It broke nicely for Jacobs and the corner forward wasted little time in finding the net. Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, the Wexford ladies were in front.

And so, not for the first time in this championship campaign, the nightmare began for Galway. Three minutes later, an innocuous foul on centre-half forward Mary Leacy yielded another free, which was floated in by Kelly, straight to the back of the Galway net.

It wasn't to get any better for the Westerners. Although they reached for the jump leads in an effort to restart the Galway engine, there was little life left in their challenge. Instead, Wexford raided one more time and two minutes into injury time, Una Leacy capped off victory with a late goal. In truth, Galway goalkeeper Stephanie Gannon should have held it, but, to be fair on the youngster, like her team-mates, she more than likely had become inflated by the whole experience. And who could blame the Galway women.

There were positives from the year, however. Galway remain league champions, so they know they can compete. They just have a little bit more to go. Rome wasn't built in a day, neither will Galway camogie in a year.

Glynn and company have wrung the changes, and while they unfortunately did not pay dividends in the last month, Galway camogie is on the right road. It just needs to stay the course.

Galway: S. Gannon; R. Glynn, S. Cahalan, N. Gavin; L. Lally, T. Maher, A. Kelly; B. Hanney, C. Glennon (0-1); A. Lynsky, A. Hillary (0-1), L. Kavanagh (0-5, all frees); B. Kerins, V. Curtin, O. Kilkenny.
Subs: C. Bowes for Curtin (52 minutes); S. Murphy for Kerins (54 mins.); C. Kelly for C. Glennon (54 mins.).
Wexford: M. Darcy; B. Holohan, C. O'Loughlin, D. Codd; O. Hernan, A. Codd, C. O'Connor; K. Kelly (1-5, 1-2 frees, 0-2 45s), A. O'Connor; U. Leacy (1-0), M. Leacy, M. Kelly; L. Holohan, M. Hearne, U. Jacob (1-1).
Subs: S. Carr for Holohan (42 mins.); M. O'Leary for M. Kelly (42 mins.); A. Moran for M. Hearne (57 mins.)

Referee: E. Browne (Tipperary).