Lee Chin's roaring form both a blessing and cause for alarm in Wexford

IT SEEMED ALMOST cruel to haul Lee Chin before the camera as the man of the match award after losing to Antrim last weekend. The pain and shock was as obvious as the sweat on his face, but he still did the dance of the TV obligations.

Perhaps it would have been more merciful to select one of the Saffron players as the hero of the hour to cap off a momentous day for the county.

That said though, there was no player more deserving of the honour. Chin was in imperious form, clocking out of Corrigan Park with 2-11, including seven frees and a penalty. The numbers behind those number underlines the extent of his impact on the game.

Wearing the 11 jersey, Chin was positioned on the edge of the square with the intention of using his ball-winning ability. And he excelled in that role. His total possession count was 11, including six catches from long pucks into the square. He also added an impressive turnover in the first half with a flick on his Antrim marker Niall O’Connor to earn a sideline puck for his team.

In the opening six minutes, he caught three long-range deliveries over the head of O’Connor, yielding two points from play and one from a free. Three strikes. Three points. All from Chin’s stick.

The Faythe Harriers player also clocked another possession with some nifty wrist work when he added a delicate touch to a pass from Conor Foley to slip the ball past his marker before pivoting around the back to jab the ball up on the run. There was no score at the end of it but Chin was unplayable at this point.

Conor McDonald was another target in Wexford’s long-ball tactics and they enjoyed some success from that as he fetched the ball twice in the first half to provide the assist for two Cian Byrne points.

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Chin took over again just before half-time when he was picked out by goalkeeper Mark Fanning. He sprinted out wide and drilled his shot into the net to get his second goal of the half after previously converting a penalty. Maximum profit from route one hurling. His seventh and eighth goals in 47 championship appearances to provide 2-6 of Wexford’s first-half tally of 2-9.

Antrim made a switch in the second half to put Paddy Burke marshalling Chin, and he was the first to win a turnover on the Wexford star in the 43rd minute. One of the few lowpoints in Chin’s individual display.

As the game progressed, and the possibility of an Antrim win became more likely, Chin was drawn further out the field to win ball. He was still effective in his new position, catching a puckout out near the sideline in the 39th minute and finding McDonald with a monstrous handpass.

It was a similar story against Dublin the previous week. Chin was also the top-scorer in that game with 1-12 (1 penalty, 0-9 frees). He won that penalty after he fielded possession in the danger zone to draw a foul from three defenders who swarmed him. It was also the first score of the game.

“The concern I have is who’s going to step up to the plate if Lee Chin leaves the field?” GAAGO pundit Eoin Cadogan said during the coverage of the Wexford-Antrim game. And that is the question that poses the biggest threat for Wexford.

McDonald and Byrne were the most prolific Wexford forwards behind Chin in that tie, combining for six points from play with some good interplay between them as well. Byrne is one of the U20 products who reached the 2022 and 2023 Leinster finals, and has made a strong impression in his induction year with the seniors.

Cian Byrne on the ball for Wexford against Antrim.

McDonald is among the more experienced forwards for Wexford but has only just returned from injury. He came on as a substitute against Dublin and was only named as a late starter to replace Séamus Casey for Antrim. Unsurprisingly, he’s been promoted to the starting line-up for the Galway game today.

Meanwhile, Rory O’Connor  — who scored four points against Dublin — had one of his quieter days against Antrim with just one point from play. Cathal Dunbar and Liam Óg McGovern finished with the same tallies, while Dunbar was also taken off.

In the event of an injury Chin, Wexford will be deprived of a reliable ball-winning target, a free-taker and an accurate scorer from play. Casey, who scored 3-26 in the league, would most likely take over the frees in that scenario but Wexford need more scoring outlets to shoulder the burden with Chin.

Outside of his 1-12 in the Dublin game, and O’Connor’s contribution, the other five points came from goalkeeper Fanning, Conor Hearne, Byrne and Dunbar.

Wexford are not quite in the relegation bother they endured last year, but they are approaching it. Galway, who are unbeaten after a win over Carlow and a draw against Kilkenny, could worsen their spiral when they call in to Wexford Park later this afternoon. The head-to-head stats don’t favour the hosts who are 0/3 against Galway in their last five Leinster championship meetings. The other two clashes in 2019 and 2022 ended as draws.

However, Wexford have responded when the need was greatest before. They will need to draw on that energy again this weekend.

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