Lee Chin's fire reignited by Wexford youth and ambition

Lee Chin says Wexford's new management and infusion of youth have helped to restore his appetite for hurling ahead of the Leinster Hurling Championship.

The Model Men flirted with relegation in Darragh Egan's last year before ensuring safety - with victory in a nine-goal thriller over already-qualified Kilkenny - in the final round of group games.

Now facing into his 12th season, captain Chin has seen the likes of fellow 2019 provincial champions Harry Kehoe, Paul Morris and Shaun Murphy retire in recent years, while Liam Óg McGovern and Matthew O'Hanlon took breaks before rejoining the panel.

"I won’t lie, at the end of last year/start of pre-season, I did struggle a bit," the 31-year-old told RTÉ Sport.

"I think I’m at the stage of my career where a lot of the lads you played with throughout most of your career have stepped away. The dressing room feels a little bit emptier at times.

"Management was changing, some of my close friends were after stepping away from the panel. Some of them weren't back yet because they were away travelling or doing other things. You felt at times there was only a handful of you who had been there for the last decade together.

"But then you get in there and you rekindle the relationships you had with the people that are also still there. Once I was there and got stuck in, the young lads helped it a lot with the energy they brought and their ambition. The management are very ambitious as well so that all helps.

"Right now I'm enjoying it as much as ever. The training is going really well."

New boss Keith Rossiter, whose time in the Wexford jersey briefly overlapped with Chin (2013-14), brought in several new faces for the Allianz Hurling League and saw his faith in youth rewarded with a