Ballyhale Shamrocks 2-15 St Thomas 0-20
You wouldn’t have wanted anyone else standing over it.
One of the best and most dramatic All-Ireland club semi-finals of all-time was won by yet another piece of TJ Reid ridiculousness.
Injury time was up, Ballyhale were two points down and after TJ was dragged to the ground by Fintan Burke, St Thomas’ put 8 out of their 15 players in front of it. It takes a special sort of shot to beat 8 men from 30 yards but then again, TJ Reid is one of those players. He unleashed a bullet that, with St Thomas’ players getting in each others’ way, ripped through the air before, defied every one of them and then belted the net.
Semple Stadium almost shook with the shock of it all.
There was time for one last puck-out but St Thomas’ were already beaten. It was only the second time in this whole game that they were headed and it was the first time that they looked like they were going to lose. It was the cruellest way you could ever lose a game and, as their manager Kenneth Burke strolled around the field moments later, the tears rolling down his face, your heart broke in no small way for them.
This was a tremendous display by the Galway club who, having won four county titles in a row, are one of the best club hurling teams in the land. All the Burkes, from Fintan to his brother David to Bernard to another brother Eanna were exceptional for them on a day when Conor Cooney looked like he’d won it. The Galway player landed a monster free from all of 80 yards well into stoppage time and it took nerves of steel to do that.
But Ballyhale Shamrocks are never ever beaten. St Rynaghs learned the same lesson just last month when, holding the same two point lead with time up, the Shamrocks found a way. And they did the same again today.
Time up.
Two points down.
30 yards out.
8 men to beat.
Step up TJ Reid, who does what he's been doing for years.pic.twitter.com/G5dc2dUdlK
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) January 23, 2022
Having been second best for large parts of this thriller, James O’Connor’s side will have plenty to work on between now and All-Ireland final day but as they chase down a first ever three in a row, there’s no better team to do it.
So after all that, it’s the Ballyhale-Ballygunner final that many will have predicted. It wasn’t straight-forward and it sure as hell wasn’t a procession, but one thing’s for sure and that’s that it will be some final.
“We didn't perform well as a team, we'll be disappointed.”
Smaointí TJ Reid tar éis an cluiche.@GAA_BEO @BallyhaleGAA #GAABEO #TheToughest pic.twitter.com/apIVfZkPdF
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) January 23, 2022
