WEXFORD’S LEE CHIN, whose decision to give up football at the start of the season was rewarded with July’s Opel GAA/GPA Hurling Player of the Month award, has said he doesn’t see a future for players playing both codes at an elite level.
The 21-year old had attempted to play both sports in 2013 but – with hurling manager Liam Dunne suggesting last season that “the day of the Teddy McCarthys are nearly finished” – opted not to make himself available for Aidan O’Brien’s football panel this season.
“For me, I find it very hard to see dual players in the future.
“The physical demand, the whole demand that’s out there for dual players is just too much at the moment I think.
“The games are moving on so much every year and that physical demand is too much to ask.”
One reason the effort can be too much is the lack of recovery time it affords players, even if they have a natural athletic ability. However, the level of training needed to perfect the minutiae of hurling is also a factor.
“It probably is [about lack of recovery time] but even, again like, you’ve got to be hurling more so than you do in football and if guys ain’t doing that it’s not really going to work out for them and you’re not getting the best out of yourself.
“As an athlete you believe the athleticism that some individuals might have can get you through a lot of things. Your fitness, your physique, can get you through football a lot.
“It’s the little skills in hurling that really makes you progress and that’s what I learned this year.”
For that reason, Chin doesn’t see a return to the Wexford footballers any time soon, especially as he feels his hurling benefited from the decision to walk away.
“I suppose it was good for me [to give up] anyway, yes.
“I enjoyed hurling so much this year and I got more enjoyment out of that than doing both.
“Last year was great, being involved in both camps, but this year with the success we had and being able to create more of a relationship with the manager and hurling panel that was the real factor for me.”
Not even a new football boss - after Aidan O’Brien stepped down this week - would convince him to come back.
“Maybe I’ll change my number! I won’t get a phone call to put any pressure on,” he jokes.
“I worked with Aidan for a year and I thought he was great manager and he was easily approached.
“He worked well with me and gave me the opportunity to play both and I respect him a lot for that.
“Maybe a few things didn’t go his way in the last year. Aidan is a great man and hopefully he’ll pick up something he enjoys because I know how much he enjoyed it.”
No longer playing U21 hurling has also played a part in Chin’s improved performances this season.
“That’s another factor with the hurling in that, again, a lot more time went into it and I wasn’t playing hurling and football at the same time for seniors and U21.
“You could totally concentrate on one.
“I like to think that’s why I got on so well. With hurling you have to be hurling 100% all the time.”
