Model star Chin takes dual role in his stride

Lee Chin has ample experience of cutting things fine from his time as a barber in Wexford Town, but the dual player must have found time at a premium over the hectic past weekend.

Saturday night saw him enter the fray against Dublin in the Leinster SHC quarter-final at Wexford Park with 28 minutes played. After that it was food, recovery session on the beach, more food and supplements and off to the leaba.

Then Sunday dawned and with it a 400km round-trip to Drogheda and a starting slot for a provincial football tie against Louth with throw-in set for a mere 18 hours after he had walked off the pitch the evening before.

It wasn’t the first time the 20-year-old had balanced his commitments between the two codes, given he chose to serve both masters during the league, but this was the first time he signed off his weekend with a guest slot on The Sunday Game.

By then, the schedule had begun to take a toll.

“It is a difference pace [in the championship] and the weather was very tough. I just kind of cramped up there in the end [against Louth]. But delighted we got the win and sure we can concentrate on next weekend now again, the replay in the hurling.”

Ah yes, the replay.

Players may love nothing more than playing games but Chin could have been forgiven for cursing the drawn encounter with the Dubs, in which Wexford let slip a late lead, more than most given his diary of events.

A footballer with Sarsfields and a hurler with Faythe Harriers, Chin also featured for the county’s U21 footballers during the spring and their hurling counterparts who opened their championship account against Westmeath earlier this month.

Quite the load.

“It is obviously a challenge,” he admitted. “The challenge is to keep up the intensity. Basically, how I get through it is just by trying to maintain what I do, take plenty of food on board and fluids.

“Take on water when you can and the bit of therapy and all that sort of stuff. Keep yourself right, physios and all that stuff. It’s good the way I work around it and hopefully it’ll keep me going for a while.”

All told, he played for 98 minutes over the two days in temperatures of up to 22 degrees. It would have been more had Liam Dunne not kept him in reserve, although he accepts such a fate may be repeated given his unique circumstances.

“The management have their options, they’ll decide whether I’m ready or not, if I’m fit or if I’m too tired. I do be happy when they talk to me about that kind of stuff. It’s about being honest and seeing what you can bring to these guys on any day.”

Chin had been informed of his secondary role a few days before but he produced an impressive display on his introduction and settled down to his task well the following afternoon after an initially fraught opening on Louth’s Derek Maguire.

His is a less frequented path in these days of ever-intensive training regimes and sports science but Redmond Barry walked in those shoes not so long ago and told him if we was going to do it then to ignore those who said it couldn’t be done.

The time will inevitably come when the demands become too great. Barry found as much and committed to the Wexford footballers while Eoin Cadogan has felt the need to call time with the Cork hurlers this year after his own lengthy juggling act.

Lee has already had to rein in his commitments. Two years ago, he signed with Waterford United after impressing for Wexford’s Oscar Traynor side but played only five times for the club before asking for a release from his contract.

His only other sporting diversion these days seems to be the odd game of golf but the focus this week will be on the hurler’s replay against Dublin at Parnell Park when the visitors will hope to build on their unexpected performance on Saturday.

“It’s going to be tough. We’re going up there to their ground but we’re well confident. We got a bit of spirit back on Saturday night, a bit of belief. So we’re happy to go up there.”

None more than Chin himself.