Lee Chin discusses aim for Wexford Senior hurlers for 2025

Despite being relegated in the Allianz Hurling League in 2025, spirits are still high across Wexford for the Championship season…

Wexford’s opening game in the Leinster Senior hurling championship took place last weekend, when Davy Fitzgerald’s Antrim came to town to face the Yellowbellies in Round 1. It was a game which saw Wexford emerge victorious on a score-line of 1-24 to 0-19, despite their slow start and going down to 14 men after just 22 minutes.

There’s no doubt that tougher tests lie ahead for Keith Rossiter’s Wexford side though. This coming weekend, on Saturday April 26th, Wexford will travel to Parnell Park for a 4:30 throw-in against the Dubs.

Although Rossiter has noted that they are taking it “one game at a time,” there’s a lot of weight on this game. With Dublin’s injuries to key attackers Donal Burke and Danny Sutcliffe – and with Eoghan O’Donnell leaving the hurlers to join the footballers – an excellent opportunity has arisen for Wexford to take the points. Although an away clash for Wexford, the bookies also agree with those sentiments, pricing Wexford as 8/15 favourites heading into the clash in the capital.

But Parnell Park is never an easy place to go – and Wexford will need everyone firing off all cylinders if they are to come away from Dublin with a victory. Wexford’s last win over the Dubs in the Leinster Senior hurling championship came in 2018. Since 2018, Dublin have won twice – and twice, the sides could not be separated.

One player that has been a revelation for Wexford over the past number of years – and who has continued to show his worth in the Purple and Gold – is their captain Lee Chin.

Speaking in an interview with SunSport, the Faythe Harriers club man identified Wexford’s aims for the year:

“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.”

“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 said.

A loss against Dublin would be somewhat detrimental to Wexford’s Leinster final hopes.

After the Dublin game, Wexford will have a two-weeks lay-off then before they travel to Galway. Their two last games in the group are Offaly (home) and Kilkenny (home).

Although Galway have not been hitting great form as of late either, a long away clash to the windy Salthill is never an easy place to go; a loss against Dublin would place more importance on getting a big win in Galway.

Similar to the Antrim clash, the Offaly game in Wexford Park could be a potential banana-skin, but it’s one that Wexford would be confident of winning.

Of course, it all depends on other results – but with a win over Dublin, Wexford will have one foot already placed in the door for third-placed qualification for the All-Ireland, but their main aim then would be reaching the Leinster final. And with key players like Lee Chin and Shane Reck returning, hopes are high in the Model County.

Wexford last won the Leinster title in 2019. Since then, Kilkenny have won the Leinster Senior hurling championship consecutively.