Going for glory, TJ still recalls the tragedies that shaped a winning team

TJ REID is talking about life beyond the whitewash. The emotional backdrop to Sunday’s AIB All-Ireland club hurling final.

How both Ballyhale Shamrocks and Borris-Ileigh have had to deal with the local tragedies that have impacted on the dressing room and the whole community.

There is a depth to this meeting that goes beyond the roll of honour which sees the Shamrocks lead the way on seven titles, while Borris-Ileigh was the last Tipperary team to lift the Tommy Moore Cup, on St Patrick’s Day in 1987.

On the surface, the Shamrocks have made it to back-to-back final appearances with the minimum of fuss, the helter-skelter semi-final against Slaughtneil a rare battle when weighed up against the path they carved through Leinster. And yet Reid tells of the hidden moments that point and their re-emergence since Henry Shefflin took the reins.

‘It’s challenging, the last two years. Previous to last year, Eoin Doyle passed away. That was hard.

Very difficult. We, I suppose, gave great respect to the family, great respect to the jersey. And we carried his jersey all along with us last year, in the dressing room after the game. It’s inspiring. But we can’t use that as motivation. Our motivation is to win.

‘This year then, you’re just knocked with another sucker punch.’ He’s referring to the tragic loss of Eugene Aylward, who died in a road accident before the county quarter-final.

‘For me, that funeral was the hardest day I’ve seen in Ballyhale. The whole street wearing the green and white jersey. Usually, it is bringing home a cup and everyone smiling and celebrating. But this time it was carrying a coffin up through the street, old men crying, club players crying.’

‘Like Borris-Ileigh – life is not fair. Life throws you obstacles. And for us now – and I’m sure Borris-Ileigh are the same – it’s about trying to bring some kind of joy back into that family. But it takes a great panel of players to come together and go on and achieve something. Because a loss like that could knock the stuffing out of any player, out of any panel.

‘For Borris-Ileigh to respond to it and Ballyhale to respond to it, it shows great character to overcome that. I remember just a week after Eugene passed away, we played Clara, we were getting beaten by seven or eight points. And we thought we were gone. And what was said at half-time… it was easy to make excuses for ourselves because of what happened and nobody would have said anything.

‘But it was the character and the attitude of the players that went out in the second half, and we all fought together. I remember, after we won, when we were doing our warm down, seeing Eugene’s family over crying in a huddle. And that’s tough.’

Reid’s form this past few seasons has seen him emerge as a natural heir to Shefflin, to the extent that comparisons are made between himself and hurling’s 10-time All-Ireland winner with Kilkenny.

‘I live next door to Henry. He’s my manager. I hurled alongside him with Ballyhale and Kilkenny. I totally respect Henry for what he achieved. And yeah, it is fulfilling to hear those things, but you can’t dwell on that because you’re only as good as your last game.’

But sometimes talent is immune to the winds of change.

This clash is likely to see the Ballyhale centre-forward go head-tohead with Brendan Maher, Tipperary’s All-Ireland winning captain of 2016, who is in the form of his life right now. Another 30-something Patrick Horgan completed the short-list for the form players of last summer.

‘The three people going for Hurler of the Year were myself, Séamus Callanan and Patrick Horgan. And we’re all over 30. So I think that changed. Clare and Cork played a young running game and everyone was saying “it’s a fast game now for young players. You have to have speed and you have to be young.” And then Galway put that to bed. They won the All-Ireland in 2017 with a physical approach. Six forwards who were six foot two.

‘They went back to the traditional way of winning your own ball up front and getting scores. And then again, Limerick changed that. They had the physicality but they also had the skill and developed a running game, alongside of the work rate. So every year, you know… obviously go back to Tipp. Traditional again. Six forwards who can create space and score. So I think it evolves.’

And he has evolved with it — his decision to open his own business, TJ Reid Health and Fitness, is paying off. ‘I’m 32 now. Not getting any younger. But look, it’s freshness. It’s enjoying the process. And I suppose when you’re enjoying life and you have no negativity in your life… in terms of work commitments, family, fiancée – everything is going very well.

‘And when you have that, your performance shines through.’

‘That funeral was hardest day I saw in Ballyhale’