TJ Reid picked up another man-of-the-match award as Kilkenny defeated Limerick by 3-17 to 1-15 to reach the Allianz National Hurling League final.
Reid had been subbed off after 55 minutes of the game but by that stage, with 1-8 to his name, the damage had been done.
“You’ll take it (the man-of-the-match award),” he laughed afterwards. “55 minutes. I’ll take it,” the laughed.
Kilkenny had gotten off to a shaky start in Páirc Uà Chaoimh, with Aaron Gillane capitalising on a Cillian Buckley fumble to score the game’s first goal after three minutes.
Cathal O’Neill increased the defending champions’ advantage to 1-2 to 0-0 one minute later but unusually for Limerick, this was not a sign of things to come.
Eoin Cody responded with a goal of his own on nine minutes, finishing expertly having been fed by the influential Jordan Molloy.
Buoyed by that brilliant goal, Cody turned Aaron Costello inside out with the very next ball and while his goal attempt was tame and was saved, Luke Hogan reacted quickest to steer the rebound past Nickie Quaid to continue the game’s explosive start.
But Kilkenny weren’t for stopping there.
Hunting in packs was the theme of their display and this was particularly apparent whenever Cian Lynch picked up the ball.
Lynch had lit the League up against Tipperary and Galway but he was hounded here.
Adrian Mullen and David Blanchfield celebrated in unison at one stage when their pressure forced Lynch into the concession of a free.
On the half hour mark, it was John Donnelly and Paddy Deegan who dispossessed Lynch, with Deegan subsequently sending the sliotar into the Limerick full back line, where TJ Reid was isolated with Aaron Costello.
Reid did the rest with emphatic style.
This goal, their third of the day, and some trademark Adrian Mullen points allowed Kilkenny to maintain their advantage up to the break, when they went into the dressing rooms leading the game by 3-6 to 1-6.
A Limerick fight-back was anticipated and they began the second half with customary zip, points from Donncha Ó Dálaigh and David Reidy reducing Kilkenny’s lead to four.
The momentum swung even further in their favour moments later when Eoin Cody was sent off on a second yellow card.
But Limerick couldn’t capitalise on the numerical advantage before things were evened up, in the 57th minute, when Peter Casey was shown a straight red for striking Paddy Deegan in an off the ball incident.
The Kilkenny captain had to leave the field as a blood sub but he returned shortly after, as points from Billy Drennan and Martin Keoghan steered Kilkenny to a comfortable victory.
“I think the referee balanced it out,” said TJ after the game. “I think Paddy got a little belt there, a bit of blood there on his finger there,” he added with a laugh.
As is tradition, captain Deegan presented Reid with the TG4 man-of-the-match award after the game and the pair were impressed with their team’s honesty and attitude.
“It was just about composure, complete concentration and focus,” said TJ Reid afterwards.
“You lose concentration and focus against Limerick and they’ll punish you,” he added.
“It was all about the performance, and the attitude and the honesty from the players,” added Deegan.
” That’s what it’s all been about the last couple of weeks. And I’m absolutely delighted with the attitude of all of the players out there.”
“I think we were the better team, for the majority of the game,” added Deegan.
” And I think that came from the foundation of working hard for each other. We have very good hurlers in Kilkenny. It’s not as if we don’t have the hurlers. Once we have those foundations there, then we can go and hurl after that,” he added.
