Whether staying behind after training or enticing teammates back from America, record-breakers Reid and Fennelly have set the standards on and off the field for Ballyhale Shamrocks.
TJ, marching around Croke Park behind the Artane Band, stripey socks high to the knee, hurley in hand, ready for battle. And Colin, marching into a San Francisco pub, Kilkenny jersey and cargo shorts, drink in hand, ready to roar his former teammates on.
“100%, having lads like that around the club, you’re going to try to aspire to be like them,” Mullen told The42 last week. James Crombie / INPHO TJ Reid celebrates with Ballyhale team-mates Brian Cody and Adrian Mullen. James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO By St Patrick’s Day 2007, Reid was top-scorer with 2-2 in his first All-Ireland club victory; the three Reid brothers combining for 3-7 of Shamrocks’ 3-12. Colin Fennelly was on the bench that day, having featured briefly during the Leinster campaign.Over the years, they have assembled some incredible totals. TJ is credited with 33-552 in 96 games over 19 years, an average just short of seven points a game. Colin is down for 38-115 in 90 games over 17 years, not far off a goal every two games.
But still, those age-old warriors offer the spark. In their All-Ireland semi-final against Ballygunner, Reid had his first involvement after three seconds, his first point after 41 seconds, and Fennelly pounced on an error to win another free after 65 seconds for Reid to convert. Not a bad first minute or so to make a statement.
If, by Reid’s own admission, his contact wasn’t 100% crisp for the first penalty, it still would have beaten most goalies bar an inspired Stephen O’Keeffe. He gave the in-form keeper little chance with the lower, deadlier second attempt. Cathal Noonan / INPHO Kilkenny's Colin Fennelly and TJ Reid after winning the 2014 National League title. Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
With two years in hand on the evergreen Reid, there’s no reason he couldn’t make an impact and he certainly shows no signs of losing the physical nor hurling attributes that made him such a fearsome spearhead of Kilkenny’s attack.“Walking off the field there in February [2022], I didn’t think I’d be playing again, to be honest. Bit by bit, the hunger comes back,” Fennelly told reporters after the Leinster final.
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