Lee Chin hails ‘deep connection' with Wexford manager Keith Rossiter as new era kicks into gear
After seven seasons of outsiders, former star
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Lee Chin hailed Wexford boss Pat Rossiter as a revolution is underway in the inter-county side
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Wexford manager Keith Rossiter is aiming for silverware after being appointed in 2023
The Oulart-The Ballagh clubman had been there and done it as a player, and helped his county win the 2004 Leinster SHC.
Hard times followed as they failed to build on that success, but he soldiered on with pride until his inter-county retirement in 2014.
Liam Dunne was Wexford manager then, and the county hurled for eight seasons of outside voices when he was replaced by Davy Fitzgerald in 2016.
Rossiter was always destined to coach, and was summoned to the Clare man's backroom team as they memorably ended their 15-year provincial famine against Kilkenny in 2019.
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Fitzgerald was replaced by former Tipperary All-Ireland winner Darragh Egan at the end of the 2021 campaign.
The Kiladangan man adapted a new approach from Fitzgerald's rigid sweeper system but the board opted to look elsewhere after they failed to emerge from the province in his second season in charge.
They blew a 17-point lead against Westmeath in round 4 and lost the game 4-18 to 2-22 at Wexford Park.
Relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup loomed large before Lee Chin saved their blushes with 1-10 in a heroic 4-23 to 5-18 final day win against Kilkenny.
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Egan wanted to stay, but the Westmeath result still stung and he was not granted a third season in the hotseat.
Rossiter had earned more stripes as their under-20 manager - and guided them to back to back provincial finals that summer.
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He was the obvious choice, and a Wexford man was finally back at the wheel for the first time in seven years when he got the gig on a three-year term.
Star man Chin made his SHC debut under Dunne and alongside Rossiter in 2013.
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His relationship with
He said: 'Obviously there is a difference having a man from your own county as a manager.
'It's just in terms of I suppose history and maybe some of the team talks or some of the motivating talks of you know your own county's history that it probably hits a little bit deeper when it's coming from a guy from your own county, you know?
'And that's not saying that Davy ever failed in that area. Obviously his stint in Wexford for those five years, how he found the desire and the hunger to keep coming down that road, it's a credit to the man.
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'He just loves the game so much, he just has such a lot of offloaded all that passion on us as well when he was with us for a number of years and we were lucky enough to win a Leinster final together, so we have very very good fond memories.
'But I suppose for Keith at the moment we're really enjoying our time together and obviously Keith is still a relatively new inter-county manager and he's doing a great job.
'He'd done a great job with the Wexford under-20's and it was unfortunate for him that he didn't win a Leinster title with them in his two years there.
'But we're really enjoying working together at the moment and we're looking to get ourselves into some position where maybe some silverware could be got.'
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Chin returned to a different Wexford dressing room in January after taking an extended winter break in Australia.
His old pals Matthew O'Hanlon, Liam Óg McGovern and Diarmuid O'Keeffe had all retired and the class of 2019 who lifted Bob O'Keeffe are starting to break up.
The NHL was a struggle after so much change and they got relegated to Division 1B, but still won their games against Clare and Limerick.
Chin, 32, still delivers and scored 0-16 in their
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Cian Byrne netted against the Saffrons while Eoin Ryan, Conor Foley and Cian Molloy have formed a new full-back line.
Consistency has been their downfall in recent times and Wexford need to back up that performance in Saturday's round 2 clash against Dublin at Parnell Park.
And the 2019 All-Star hopes a new era can bear fruit sooner than later with Rossiter at the wheel.
NEW ERA
Chin said: 'Obviously the guys that would have participated in that Leinster final even two years ago, three years ago the likes of Paul Morris, Sean Murphy and Harry Kehoe, other stalwarts of the panel.
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'They had retired as well together and then a year or two after then you know Matthew, Liam Óg and Dee O'Keefe retired.
'The dressing room has changed quite quickly over the last number of years but that is sport and you know you don't know who's going to leave the dressing room one year and who's going to come into it the following.
'That's just the way it is and you've got to pick up some of the pieces along the way and other guys need to stand up, other leaders need to emerge.
'I suppose at the moment in our dressing room we have got that, young lads have stepped up, other leaders have stepped up and we look to hopefully make the most of it.
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'It's definitely the aim every year, you know you want to go into the All-Ireland Series and if you can get yourself into a Leinster final on the way you know it's a huge, huge, huge bonus.'
LEE CHIN was speaking at the launch of Bord Gáis Energy's continued sponsorship of the GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The announcement marks 16 years of Bord Gáis Energy's involvement in inter-county hurling and celebrates the excitement, spirit and pride that make the championship and its fans so unique.
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