Lee Chin draws inspiration from Tipperary's rapid rise as he vows Wexford can bounce back in 2026

The Irish Sun

16 hours ago

CHIN UP Lee Chin draws inspiration from Tipperary's rapid rise as he vows Wexford can bounce back in 2026
THE light went out on Wexford's season much sooner than they had planned – but Lee Chin believes Tipperary's resurgence is proof of how quickly the darkness can lift.
Having failed to record a Championship victory in 2024, Tipp won six on the bounce to be crowned All-Ireland champions last month.
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Lee Chin of Wexford reckons they can bounce back after a poor 2025 season
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Chin is certain they can gain promotion back to the top tier
Wexford skipper Chin said: 'I just think that's what hurling is now. You have a team that potentially might not be at the level they desire one year and they win the All-Ireland the year after.
"Tipperary have high standards and their ambition is to win All-Irelands.
"I don't think those sorts of goals would have changed for them coming into this year, regardless of how the previous couple of years went.
"To come out and go all the way was incredible to see. And of course it gives you some sort of light at the end of the tunnel to think that regardless of how your year went, you can still turn things around the following year.'
A win over Kilkenny in May was ultimately irrelevant for Wexford as the game was already a dead rubber.
Their Leinster SHC campaign also yielded victories over Antrim and Offaly. Yet the Model men came up short of a top-three finish due to costly defeats to Dublin and Galway.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport ahead of his involvement in the 2025 Hurler for Cancer Research match, Chin reflected: "We had to wait for other results to come our way by not getting the victory up in Salthill and obviously the Dublin game had left us under pressure as well.
'If you'd managed to get a win there, you would have put a bit of comfort in your way. Unfortunately we weren't able to go to either of those two venues and get a victory.
"We kind of had to keep ourselves out of the relegation picture come the game against Offaly. The Kilkenny game was an odd one then because we knew that was the last day we'd hurl for 2025.'
With 20 minutes remaining in their Parnell Park clash with the Dubs, Wexford were in the driving seat with a three-point lead.
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But a significant moment that turned the game in favour of the hosts was Seán Currie's penalty. While replays showed that the sliotar had not crossed the line, a goal was awarded by ref Michael Kennedy nonetheless.
But Chin insisted: "Obviously when things like that do occur, you have to just suck it up and move on. After the game when you reflect, you can be very frustrated.
"But as time moves on, you accept that these things happen and that's just sport.
'You get on with it. It's just foolish to be thinking about what could have been. At the end of the day, we didn't do enough in that game against Dublin.
"We just need to improve. There are a lot of other areas that we needed to be better in on that day.
"Just conceding too many goals, too many scores and ourselves probably as a forward line didn't really get into any sort of a rhythm through the Championship.
"There are a lot of things we just need to address in terms of our performances. We can't really put it down to one incident or two incidents. We've got to be accountable for our own performance. We've just got to go searching for better."
Next season will be Chin's 14th as a Wexford senior hurler.
And with the county board this week proposing that Keith Rossiter be ratified to remain in charge for 2026, the veteran forward reckons they still have the right man at the wheel.
He said: "I suppose we've gone through various different changes over the last number of years. As a county and especially as a player who's been around for a while, the one thing you want is continuity.
'You don't want change occurring all the time because any manager who comes into a project like ourselves, they want a year or two to bed in, to figure out players and who's in Wexford.
"And obviously just to get everything in order for themselves.
'For someone like me, if that were to start all over again, that's probably not something I have time on my side for anymore.
"If change was for the betterment of Wexford, I'd obviously support that. But for ourselves at the moment, we know what quality Keith brings.
'The county board are probably confident in that too and that's the reason he's going into his third year. I'm delighted that's happening."
PROMOTION PUSH
As well as reaching a first Leinster SHC final since the triumph of 2019, promotion back to the top tier of the National League will be among Wexford's top priorities in a year that will mark the 30th anniversary of their last All-Ireland win.
And with Tipperary showing what is possible for teams who have lost their way, Chin is adamant that Rossiter's side can also turn a corner.
The Faythe Harries man, who turns 33 in October, said: "I think a lot of teams are capable of bouncing back positively with how much they have at their disposal in terms of preparation and organisation and how detailed managements can be.
"It's just fine lines and narrow margins with results or decisions that cause you not to get out of Leinster or Munster.
"Small things can cause you to end up on one side or the other and it can make it a completely different year for you.
"This was just a year that we were disappointed in. Our ambition would be to get back to Leinster finals and compete and go into an All-Ireland series.
'It wasn't to be and it's something that we'll look to rectify. Obviously getting relegated in the league didn't help with confidence either.
"But we'll put our heads down over the winter and we'll work hard on sorting out a few things that we need to address. Hopefully we'll have found the improvements coming into 2026."
*LEE CHIN will be one of the stars on show in the annual Hurling for Cancer Research match. Supported by Centra, it takes place at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow on Monday at 7.30pm. Tickets – priced €10 for adults and €5 for children – are available from selected Centra and SuperValu stores, as well as online at www.hurlingforcancer.ie.