A lot done, more to do for busy Reid

WHAT’S left for TJ Reid to achieve?

Just turned 21, earlier this month, the list of achievements for the Ballyhale youngster would already do justice to the CV of a man coming to the end of a long and illustrious career. Féile na nGael U14 with Ballyhale Shamrocks, Leinster and All-Ireland colleges titles with St Kieran’s, Leinster and All-Ireland U21 medals on the double, another brace at senior, culminating in a 15-minute display of virtuosity in this year’s final when, after coming on as a sub for the injured Martin Comerford in the 43rd minute, he blasted over four points in the next quarter of an hour.

Yes, Waterford were already a beaten and demoralised force at that stage, trailed by 2-18 to 0-6 when he hit the field, but it was, nevertheless, a whirlwind entrance to the big stage.

Long before September 7, however, TJ Reid was in the public eye. With his club, Ballyhale Shamrocks, and just out of minor, he won Kilkenny, Leinster and All-Ireland titles in 2006/07, notching 2-2 in the St Patrick’s Day win over Loughrea of Galway. Since then he has collected another two Kilkenny titles and tomorrow he lines out with Ballyhale as they face Birr in yet another Leinster final.

Some career already for young TJ, some year already, a year that started with a memorable Fitzgibbon Cup final win over a Joe Canning-inspired LIT. TJ is a sports & recreation student in WIT& but such is his modesty that even as we conduct this interview, in the impressive entrance hall to the college, he doesn’t have a clue which trophy in the massive display cabinet behind us is that same Fitzgibbon Cup.

One cup or another, doesn’t matter, that’s not what it’s about; it’s about playing, winning, moving on to the next challenge.

Burnout? Don’t even mention it, says TJ. “No, none at all,” he says, emphatically. “You might get fed up of all the hurling every now and then but it’s nothing to do with burnout, I think that’s something selectors use occasionally if one of their star players isn’t performing — oh, he’s doing too much hurling, burnout. That’s just an easy excuse. I’ve been hurling nearly year round now for the last two or three years and I love it.

“All you need is a small break. If you don’t get that the legs will go, eventually, the ground is very demanding at this time of the year. Win or lose on Sunday we’re finished for the rest of the year at least, and that’s a good break. I’m not hurling with the college at the moment, Conal Bonner has told me I can stay away ‘til the Fitzgibbon, so I’m lucky that way.

“It’s great, as long as you’re winning, I suppose it wouldn’t be as enjoyable when you’re losing. The last few years have been unbelievable for me alright, and if we could go on now and win the All-Ireland club again, that would be the cream. Winning with your club, that’s the best feeling of all.”

It hasn’t been all about winning for TJ Reid this year; even among all those honours, he has known loss, real loss.

TJ has two older brothers, Patrick and Eoin, who have also played a major part in Ballyhale’s recent run of success; earlier this year they lost their mother to cancer. In a close, tight-knit family, it came as a massive blow.

“It was, we lost Mammy in March; we had just won the Fitzgibbon Cup and she died a couple of weeks later. She’d been fighting it for three or four years, it was coming, but she fought hard. Any game that we were playing, she’d be there — if the game was to be on half two, she’d be there at half one. She lived for it, and the three of us now, whatever medals we win, we’re doing it for her; we know she’s up there looking down on us still.”

How proud she must have been then on September 7, how proud again a few weeks later when all three sons played a major role in the Shamrocks’ win over James Stephens in the Kilkenny final. Paddy especially, the oldest of the three; he’s had a hard time over the years, battling health problems that would see a lot of others satisfied just to walk around.

For that county final Paddy made it back onto the starting 15, scored a vital goal. “He played well, got a good goal,” says TJ. “He’s been sick for a few years but he’s coming right, he has lots of energy, hopefully he’ll be fine now. He can’t eat any dairy foods at all, he’s on a special diet, has to go up to Monaghan every so often for tablets and so on, has a lot of tests done to make sure he’s doing okay. It’s not easy for him.”

So it is that when TJ and his brothers take the field this Sunday in Nowlan Park, they will have more on their minds than just winning. They face a fired-up side determined to prove that last year’s semi-final win was no fluke, even if the Shamrocks were without Henry Shefflin and Cha Fitzpatrick.

“They have the Whelahans, the two Hanniffys, Claffey, all those guys, very experienced; that experience told last year in the last 10 minutes, but maybe if we’d had Henry and Cha our experience might have told. We didn’t, so, we lost.”

But on Sunday Ballyhale will take beating, especially if the Reid boys catch fire; watch for them, especially the baby, the one in the blue-and-white helmet. So far, it’s been his year — will it continue?

“If we play to our potential, we’ll beat them,” says Reid.

“Maurice (Aylward, Ballyhale manager) was saying that after the county final, our backs are standing up but the forwards are letting us down. I think though, against James Stephens, they brought back extra players, crowded us out in the half-forward line, and Birr will be trying to do that, that’s what they did last year. It’s up to us to try and do something about that.”