Nestled within the healthy environs of the Kilkenny club championship and vicious training nights in Nowlan Park, TJ Reid still has a perspective on Sunday's Munster hurling final between Waterford and Tipperary.
“It will be tough, it will be tight,” said the current hurler of the year. “Tipp will be missing Bubbles [John O’Dwyer], so he’d be a loss, but Tipp’s forwards are very good. Their scoring average is very impressive.
“They beat Cork and even down to 14 men they still beat Limerick comfortably enough, so that’s the sign of a good team.
“Waterford again are hurling very well. All those young lads are a year older, a year stronger, fitter and they’re more cuter on the ball as well. The system they are working, it’s going to be tough to overcome it, but that structure was there in the Munster final last year and Tipp out-cuted them on the day.
“It’s going to be whatever team will work the hardest will win, but yeah, definitely we could be meeting the losers of the game so we’ve all seen how good Tipp are, and how good Waterford are if we do meet them down the line.”
An obvious Kilkenny advantage over all other counties is the smooth running of their competitive club championship through the summer.
“You would, of course [like to be playing more games for Kilkenny], but there’s no way you’d fit it in with the club. The club structure is very important. I wouldn’t be playing intercounty hurling if it wasn’t for [Ballyhale Shamrocks].
“We’ve a game this week so the club facility has to be modified and looked after as well because the boys in the club, I don’t think they’ve played a game for eight weeks.
“You would start to see more players head off to San Fran then and those sort of places. You’d be losing more players and you can’t be having that either. I’m happy enough in the structure. I don’t know where you could be fitting in more games.
Broken finger
“If you got a knock in the club this weekend and the game was two weeks later you’re more than likely out. [The current structure] gives players more time to heal if they get a knock, a hamstring or a broken finger.”
Really, for TJ Reid and Kilkenny, their focus is forever on themselves alone.
“An All-Ireland semi-final, one step away from getting to a final. Obviously, we don’t know who we’re playing. We could be facing anyone. Whatever needs to be done will be done.”
