Shamrocks side defeated the league champions Dicksboro in a thrilling encounter in UPMC Nowlan Park last weekend to book a semi-final date with James Stephens on October 15th.
Pat Hoban’s side had a five-point lead at the interval following Adrian Mullen’s late goal, but Dicksboro looked to have wrestled back the momentum in the second half as they edged four points in front after Paddy Mullen’s red card.
However, the county champions finished the stronger of the two teams to narrowly come out on top in what KCLR commentator Adrian Ronan described as the greatest club game he had ever seen.
Kilkenny inter-county star Reid believes that the perception from some quarters that they are past their best was a motivating factor in their win.
“The mindset of these players is incredible” hails Shamrocks manager Pat Hoban
“People have been talking about us. We are missing people and all that stuff. But the desire and the heart are still there of the players that we have.”
“We never give up. We knew it today. We’re going six in a row like that’s a big task.”
“There’s a lot of talk about was that we weren’t prepared, that we’re gone. Look that’s in the back of our minds but we’re really crew with the boys behind us. It’s just great.”
Get all the reaction from this weekends games
Fan of Kilkenny hurling?Wwhy not listen to KCLR’s Kilkenny Hurling Podcast.
Each week Robbie Dowling and former Blacks and Whites manager Eddie Scally cast their eye over all the action from the weekend’s senior, intermediate, and junior league and championship games as well as looking ahead to the next round of action.
In the ninth episode, we reflect on an incredible senior quarter-final between Ballyhale Shamrocks and Dicksboro and review the last eight ties from across the weekend.
We name our Team of the Week and preview Sunday’s intermediate semi-finals and this weekend’s junior quarter-finals.
Finally, we ask the most crucial of all – Is it Shamrocks Ballyhale or Ballyhale Shamrocks?
