As he faced into his 13th championship season with Wexford, Lee Chin had some hard questions to ask himself.
A former inter-county dual player and a soccer player of some renown, the Faythe Harriers clubman has committed himself exclusively to the Wexford senior hurlers for the past 12 years and grown into one of the finest hurlers in the land.
But with a few loyal soldiers calling time on their career, the likes of Dee O'Keeffe, Matthew O’Hanlon and Liam Óg McGovern, Chin had to dig deep from within to discover if he truly wanted to stay going in the purple and gold shirt.
An extended break in Australia stirred locals to ponder if he would return this season but Chin came back late in the league, no surprise that they beat Clare and Limerick with him in the ranks once more and now he’s ready to drive on for another championship campaign.
"The reality is that I know you must soak up these years," he told RTE Sport.
"That’s the one question I keep posing to myself – are you mentally and physically able to stay going?
"I know you only get a small window at this level, that the body and mind will only allow a short time playing for your county but, for me, if my body can allow me to play and my mind I’ll play as long as I can.
"I realise there is such a small window to get this level of sport in.
"I’m getting a bit older," the 32-year-old added, "but if I can continue to perform I’ll continue to play."
And continue to perform he can.
Relegated Wexford ended life in the top flight – for 2026 at least – winning on the road against Clare and Limerick with Chin reinstated in the team.
Despite hitting 21 wides in Limerick, Wexford prevailed with Chin assuming free-taking duties as the game unfolded.
He will be hoping to find his spectacular form of last season when he never looked better at this level.
At the start of June he sat second in the top-scorers list with 3-54 scored from five matches, 1-15 of it from play.
But aside from the scores his presence, physicality, ball-winning ability, skill and speed made him a nightmare for opponents.
Having returned from down under with renewed energy, he is targeting a Leinster championship campaign that would see Wexford qualify from the round robin stages.
"It was a short winter for me," he says.
"And now I am enjoying the training, enjoying the weather and that is hugely important for me.
"When I first got back home there was a period of trying to find my feet again and trying to see whether I enjoyed being back or not.
"But moments like this, when we are close to championship time and you can enjoy the training, it makes me happy now," he said at the launch of the 2025 Leinster Hurling Championship at UPMC Nowlan Park.
Losing trusted comrades like O’Hanlon, McGovern and O'Keefe wasn’t easy.
Strong bonds had been formed over the past decade and they had been through a lot together.
"The loss of lads, that’s all part and parcel of me trying to find my feet in the dressing room again," he adds.
"They were always familiar faces. Those lads were your support network for the majority of your career and when they exit the dressing room it is a different place.
"Still, things move on very fast in sport and I know that. We are here now and ready to go.
"When I look back on the league we didn’t get off to any great start and it was kind of poor but the way we finished the league was quite good and I would be pretty happy with that.
"Yes, we were relegated and that is unfortunate but it’s strange - we went down to Clare and Limerick and beat them and that’s a nice way to go into the championship."
On Saturday week they host Antrim at Chadwicks Wexford Park.
Chin is refreshed and ready to go. Fully confident that if he and the likes of Rory O’Connor click and the side hits form and get their supporters behind them, they are a match for most anyone in the country.
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