Reid relaxed about top award

All Star TJ Reid wants to be named hurler of the year tonight — but doesn’t need it to confirm that he had a ‘special’ year with Kilkenny.

The 27-year-old attacker is favourite to succeed Richie Hogan as the season’s stand-out performer, having been nominated alongside Hogan and Seamus Callanan.

The award would cap an incredible year that saw Kilkenny bounce back from the retirement of six iconic players to retain the All-Ireland title. Pundits have unanimously pointed to Reid as the man who did most to make it happen and he seems certain to follow club mates Henry Shefflin and Michael Fennelly as a recipient.

Reid himself said he’s content that even if he misses out he knows he was part of a famous year that included an AIB All-Ireland Club title win back in March.

“Whenever you’re in the final three nominees for player of the year it’s a great achievement, particularly when it’s Richie Hogan and Seamus Callanan beside you,” said Reid.

“If I get it, that would be great but if not, it won’t bother me because I know myself what a special year it was. GAA players always know themselves when they’ve had a good year or when things have gone particularly well.

“That’s how this year felt to me, it was one of those really good years. So we’ll see how it pans out.”

Reid led by example all summer with 4-32 across Kilkenny’s four championship games, 3-8 of which arrived in open play.

He struck a goal in each game and was a nominee for man of the match in each of those matches too.

Reid agreed that he is somewhere close to the peak of his powers right now.

He said: “Definitely. But you know I’m with Kilkenny since 2007, that’s eight or nine seasons so I’d want to be at the peak of my powers, wouldn’t I?!

“No, I’m enjoying my hurling and personally that’s a big thing to me, when I’m enjoying it there’s much more chance of playing well. I’m in good shape, my fitness is good and, touch wood, I have no injuries.”

Amazingly, the skilful, powerful forward was ‘thinking about retiring’ just three years ago when axed for the 2012 All-Ireland quarter-final win over Limerick.

Interventions from boss Brian Cody and team-mate Shefflin ensured he remained on board and he went on to win a first All Star.

But 2013 was another low as Reid struggled for form again, this time after a serious knee injury suffered in the 2012 All-Ireland final replay against Galway.

Fully fit for 2014 and 2015, he found his mojo again and is a back to back All Star with consecutive nominations for the Player of the Year award.

Reid said: “When you’re competing at the top consistently, it’s good at some stage to get a kick up the backside and to wake yourself up a bit, stops you getting complacent.

“That year (2013) definitely did that for all of us. In fairness, there were injuries that year, I didn’t do much myself coming back from the broken knee cap and we just never got going as a team. We’ve definitely turned the corner since then.”

Still, it wasn’t all rosy just months ago as Kilkenny faced into the defence of their Leinster and All-Ireland titles without six key performers.

Reid said: “My first night walking into the dressing room was after winning the All-Ireland club, in March. It was a big fright not seeing all those legends there and looking at the new faces.

“It took me a while to get to grips with those boys not being around. You would have always had a few words with JJ Delaney, Tommy Walsh, Sheff, the bit of craic.

“It was strange to miss that in the dressing-room and on the field. But there was never a question about the commitment of the lads that were there. It was 100%.

“JJ was the only player that had started last year’s All-Ireland final too and Joey Holden was kind of primed to come in there, so we still knew there was an All Ireland in us.”