By Jamie Ó Tuama

When Wexford's senior intercounty hurling season came to an end in late June, following defeat to Clare in the All-Ireland Quarter Finals, an opportunity to work with younger players presented itself to Slaneyside hero, Lee Chin.

The Wexford talisman explains how he is happy to have more time to commit to his club Faythe Harriers due to the split season.

‘You know something, I am actually involved with my club at the moment in the under 19’, explains Chin. ‘It is something that I have enjoyed over the last couple of weeks considering that it has been intertwined with the senior championship and we play every Wednesday evening.’

Chin’s under 19 side were defeated by Buffer’s Alley in the Premier Championship final yesterday evening, but in advance of the game the Slaneysider spoke about how being involved with younger players was important to him.

‘I have enjoyed it’, says Chin. ‘It’s nice to see young lads, I suppose helping out and developing them. Hopefully if tonight goes their way or even the experience of being in a county final might help some young lads stay at it in the future. There is a lot of fulfilment in that for me.’

Chin explains how the shorter intercounty season has presented opportunities to him to get more involved in the development of young players in his club.

‘I find during the intercounty season it’s quite hard at times to get massively engrossed in your club because you are so fully involved with intercounty and the time it takes up’, explains Chin. ‘I have mentioned the word balance here I don’t know how many times in this interview, and I think even when it comes to intercounty you have to have that balance away from the field.

‘I think if you were to get involved in a coaching role when you are in your intercounty career it can be quite intense for you in terms of always being in that environment. For me, I don’t think I’d enjoy it too much but with the split season it has given me the opportunity to get involved in underage in my own club and helping out every now and again. For that, in split season alone, I think there is a nice benefit in it for your club and for me in particular.

Meanwhile, this weekend sees Kilkenny face off against Cork in the 2022 Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Final decider. Cork manager, Matthew Twomey, will be joined on the line that day by Davy Fitzgerald, a former mentor of Lee’s. The Wexford man has been keeping a keen on eye how his former bainisteoir has been progressing with the Cork camogie team.

‘Look, I will of course be interested in the game’, says Chin. ‘I watched the semi-final and there was a great standard of hurling in both games, great entertainment.

‘Davy is on the line with Cork at the moment, but I am still in touch with him now and again and he’s really enjoying his time there, so he tells me. It is something that is different for him. It is a different challenge and again he’s in an All-Ireland final.

‘I watched him on the line the last day and he was the same old Davy. It was great to see, and you know there is still life in the old dog. I am just happy for him at the moment, that he is getting out into Croker again for another All-Ireland final.’

*We spoke to Lee Chin at an event to promote the Aer Lingus College Football Classic where The Northwestern Wildcats will take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in August.