Lee Chin is the championship's top scorer, having his best-ever scoring campaign, and this afternoon faces a Kilkenny team he's already amassed more against than any other team.
Despite Wexford's indifferent form in recent seasons they come into this encounter in pursuit of three championship wins in a row against a team who are at the same time looking for a fifth Leinster title in succession.
In a rivalry which for so long before his time had been all one-way, Wexford now relish a crack at the black and amber. And none more so than Chin. He has scored 1-57 against Kilkenny, 0-11 from play, averaging nearly 0-08 per game across their championship meetings.
Only against teams Chin has faced three times or less does he have a better scoring average, but overall Kilkenny are the county he has scored most against in championship hurling.
Since Chin made his senior debut in 2013 Wexford have won four and drawn one of eight championship games against Kilkenny, and won seven and drawn one of 14 when you include the league. One of those six defeats came in Chin's absence meaning he has won or drawn 62% of his matches against Kilkenny.
A stark contrast to his championship record against Galway and Dublin, beating each of them on just one occasion from a combined 14 attempts.
Last year, after losing to Westmeath the previous week, Wexford pulled off a stunning victory over Kilkenny to preserve their Leinster Championship status. This time around they're playing for progression in the 2024 Championship and a place in the Leinster final. But hoping for a similar performance and the same result.
Wexford will hope for a repeat of Chin's heroic performance, where he scored 1-10, three points of which were from play. But that day, positioned largely in the full-forward line, he also made twice as many tackle turnovers or interceptions as he did scores from play.
To go with those six he won six of the 10 long balls (including puck-outs) put in on top of him resulting in 1-03 for his side. Wexford put in 18 tackles (with contact) against Kilkenny players coming out of their own 45 in that game. With 1-02 coming off their efforts, and another 1-01 left behind.
We've only seen glimpses of it this year but therein are the two key areas where Wexford excel and will need to target this time around – counter-pressing in their forward line, and letting the ball in direct and fighting like hell for the breaks. Leading the way on both fronts will be Chin, the support he receives from those around him will be decisive.
In that game Chin also assisted 1-01 and was fouled for one of his converted frees. Against Dublin in the first game of this year's Leinster championship Chin scored 1-01 off the three balls he won in the air.
While against Galway he won four of his five aerial contests resulting in 0-02 and two more wides. Against Antrim he scored 1-01 off his aerial wins, and between those three games he made 10 turnovers, assisted 0-02 and was fouled for 1-03 (which he scored himself).
He's been doing his part regardless of the result, both in terms of scoring, creating, ball winning, and tackling. The latter two being the characteristics which make him such a unique and at times unmarkable all rounder.
The 31-year-old energises those around him with his aerial ball-winning ability, his physicality in the tackle, his courage from frees, and of course his highlight reel scores. Despite his huge scoring tallies, Chin is more inspirational leader than consistent score-getter but this year in particular he has been both.
The 2019 All-Star has amassed 9-273 in his 51 championship appearances across 12 seasons – the first three of which he featured mainly as a midfielder or half-back – giving him an average of just under 0-06 per game. From that he's scored 6-71 from play – which is 30%. His 2024 championship percentage for scores from play is the same figure.
Wexford's last five Championship games have been anything but consistent – wins over Kilkenny and Galway, hammering Carlow, drawing with Dublin and losing to Antrim. The one constant however has been Lee Chin – scoring 1-10, 1-12, 2-11, 0-11 and 0-13.
Averaging a remarkable 0-14 per game with 1-14 from play across four games, this has been his best scoring championship campaign to date for Wexford, from play and overall.
The Faythe Harriers club man's previous best scoring season came in the condensed 2021 championship when he averaged just over 0-11, 0-03 from play, per game. Ahead of the final round-robin game of this championship and Chin is averaging over 0-04 from play per game and 0-14 overall.
But the reality is the more Wexford lean on their talisman the less likely it is they will win. In Wexford's shock defeat to Antrim Chin accounted for 65% of his team's total, and in the draw against Dublin it was 63%. Whereas against Galway he scored 35% of Wexford's winning total, and 31% in the win over Carlow. While against Kilkenny in the final game of Wexford's 2023 Championship, Chin accounted for 37% of his team's winning tally.
Chin can't do it alone. Rory O'Connor, Conor McDonald and Cian Byrne will all have to contribute on the scoreboard and beyond that, as they have been in recent weeks.
The scoring statistics all point to Wexford's talisman being the country's in-form hurler at present, but Chin's terrific displays have been about so much more than racking up the scores. If his fellow forwards can pitch in again this week, and follow his lead under the high ball and in the tackle – Wexford have every chance of continuing his brilliant record against the Cats.
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