Chin urges Wexford "to the next level"

Wexford forward Lee Chin says this year's Championship "has opened up" and unfamiliar names could contest the All-Ireland final on 3 September.

Chin will feature in his first hurling championship match in Croke Park on Sunday, when the Model County take on Galway in the Leinster SFC final.

Wexford, playing their first provincial final since 2008, have already beaten Kilkenny in the league and the championship this year, and Chin says there could be a changing of the guard in hurling in 2017, with Tipperary also scrapping it out in the qualifiers after their Munster quarter-final defeat to Cork on 28 May.

"For ourselves as players, when you see a Championship open up like this you say to yourself: 'You know what, we can get to the next level'," the 24-year-old said.

"Hurling needs this, new teams competing in the provincial finals and hopefully we might see two different teams in this year's All-Ireland final as well."

Chin attributes Wexford's improvement to manager Davy Fitzgerald, who led them to promotion to Division 1A in March in his first league campaign since his appointment in October 2016.

"When Davy first came in, one of his first engagements was to assess ourselves as people and as players," Chin continued. 

"He instilled belief, made it clear that he always thought that we could reach a Leinster final. 

"But we had to back up his words, so to get promoted in the national league was a big thing for us and beating Kilkenny in the quarter-final of that competition meant our confidence levels just kept building. Being in a Leinster final was where we had planned to be."

Image: Inpho

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