Well, the dust has settled and as we are all well aware Ballyhale Shamrocks once again are Kilkenny Senior Hurling champions.
They defeated James Stephens in blustery conditions in the decider last in UMPC Nowlan park on a scoreline of 1-21 to 2-11 Even after a Paddy Mullan sending-off, thus Shamrocks were reduced to 14 men, they pulled up their socks, and charged forward. Yes, they actually got better.
One man who certainly turned on the style was Kilkenny stalwart TJ Reid, whose performance earned him a man of the match award.
The stunning display was not lost on his manager however Pat Hoban was very quick to direct some praise at his half-backline also.
“A lot of people said TJ had a quiet season, but I genuinely felt there was one big game in him, and thankfully it came out.”
“The half-backline was just awesome, awesome.”
See also: Shamrocks make history, beat James Stephens to 2022 Kilkenny senior hurling championship crown
What a club. History made. 5 in a row @BallyhaleGAA #club #team #together #5inarow pic.twitter.com/XWEq21Z5Si
— TJ Reid (@_tjreid) October 16, 2022
The year is not over, of course, they now face Castletown Geoghegan from Westmeath in Leinster. Castletown ended their three-in-a-row final losses in 2019,2020 and 2020 by beating Clonkill in 2022 on a scoreline of 0-22 to 1-14. UPMC Nowlan Park will be the venue on November 13, as Shamrocks will be defending their provincial crown. However not unsurprisingly Pat Hoban, speaking after the final, was none too concerned with the tie nearly a month away
“Genuinely, no. It has never been mentioned. The goal was to win the county final. All the history attached to win this one, and the motivations.”
“So we have not looked at it. it is a few weeks away with a lot of things in between it. We will sit down in the next week or so and come up with a plan for that.”
Listen back to the full interview on Scoreline Extra below :
