By John Harrington

Lee Chin admits that the Wexford hurlers have struggled to find their rhythm so far this year.

They finished the League campaign on a high with a win over Dublin and had a decent record overall with three wins and a draw from five matches.

But they never really played with the sort of fluency that they’re capable of either.

“It's probably hard to put your finger on it,” says Chin, of the team’s inconsistency. “We play a very unique type of game and it involves a lot of movement and being very tidy with the ball.

“It can break down quite easily at times when some things don't go as they should and the game doesn't actually flow as well when things break down.

“I think that's where the inconsistency comes in. Maybe just little errors in terms of our attacking and defensive play. And I know everybody has them, but we play a certain game and a certain style that if it breaks down it can go wrong at times. If you don't get the fluency in the game and get into a rhythm, it can be quite difficult.

“I think that's what maybe causes us a bit of inconsistency throughout games.”

Wexford had a disastrous championship campaign in 2020, losing convincingly to both Galway and Clare so it’s been a while since they’ve really played to their best.

Some have suggested the team is still suffering from the hangover of failing to beat Tipperary in the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final having looking like doing so for most of the game, but Chin doesn’t agree.

“2019 is a long time ago now,” he says. “We've well put it behind us. It was a big breakthrough moment for ourselves, we got some (Leinster) silverware in 2019, but it didn't affect us at all in 2020.

“We were so hungry and so excited about getting into the (All-Ireland) Championship and just things didn't work out, simple as that.”

Wexford play Laois in the Leinster SHC Quarter-Final as soon as Saturday, June 26, so Chin knows they have little option but to hit the ground running.

“In the National League we've been trying to get everything in place to get a bit of rhythm and get a bit of momentum. The Dublin game in the end, it was nice to get the win going into the Championship.

“It's a quick turnaround now. In other years you're heading back to your club for a month and you have another two or three weeks off before the Championship so you've a lot of time to really assess after the National League, but not this year.

“It's good, we're looking forward to the fact that it's a quick turnaround and we're staying involved with the inter-county group. We're just really looking forward to the 26th and hopefully we'll have a great game against Laois.”