There are still a scatter of minutes left at the end of extra-time in the World Cup final but TJ Reid is already talking penalties.
In the previous hour he has taken two at Croke Park. The first one was saved by Stephen O’Keeffe but Reid nailed the second, and Ballyhale Shamrocks ultimately overcame Ballygunner by that goal in their All-Ireland club SHC semi-final.
Reid’s first penalty was hit high to O’Keeffe’s right, but the Ballygunner goalkeeper made an outstanding diving block. Ballyhale led by a single point at the time.
Just moments later Reid himself was chopped down to earn his side a second penalty. O’Keeffe, who had pulled off four incredible saves by that stage, was dancing side to side on the line, just as he had been for the first penalty.
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Reid opted to go to O’Keeffe’s right again, but this time he drilled the ball low and much closer to the goalkeeper’s body, not granting him the time to get down and save. It was the pivotal score in a game that, until then, had seen the teams separated by only a whisker here and there.
As he stood over that second penalty, Reid realised it was not a moment for rashness.
“I struck the first one well, it was slightly mis-hit, but a great save,” he recalled afterwards in the tunnel below the Hogan Stand, just as the action rumbled towards penalties in Doha.
“The second one was just to be composed on the lift, strike it well and keep it on target. Obviously there’s a bit of mind-games, he was probably thinking maybe would I go to the opposite side.
“But obviously as a free-taker you don’t change your routine or change your mind, so you’re as well stepping up, being relaxed, get a good lift and make sure to strike it hard.”
The Kilkenny champions ran out 1-16 to 0-16 winners, exorcising the demons of last February when Harry Ruddle’s injury-time goal in the All-Ireland final saw Ballygunner snatch the trophy from Ballyhale’s grasp.
In the build-up to Sunday’s semi-final, much was made of the desire within the Ballyhale dressingroom to right the wrongs, as they would see it, of last February. But Reid said the danger in all of that would have been to allow emotion take over. If there was to be passion, then it would have to be controlled and measured and coupled with high work rate and skill.
“It was a game that I suppose we wanted from nine months ago,” admitted Reid. “We wanted to get another crack at Ballygunner and we were just lucky enough that we came through our county and came through Leinster, and the same for Ballygunner.
“It was about mental preparation, physically we knew we were fit and we knew we were strong and we knew we had pace as well, so it was just getting the minds right for the last two weeks, and controlling it as well.
“Because in the last year there was a lot of hurt and tears in the dressingroom going home, so it was about controlling that anger and that bit of motivation for the whole 60 minutes, because it was going to take that.”
The Ballyhale players celebrated the victory with noticeably more energy and enthusiasm than they did their recent Leinster final win over Kilmacud Crokes. Indeed, there was little or no celebration from them after that game.
Ballyhale led by 14 points but in the second half Crokes reduced the gap to one. When the final whistle sounded it had been no resounding Leinster final victory, rather they had stumbled over the line.
“We performed for 30 minutes. 14 points up, you don’t lose after going 14 points up. I think we went down to one point. For a Ballyhale team, you don’t let that happen,” stated Reid.
“That’s why we were so annoyed after that game. In a way, it hurt so much because nine months ago we were three, four points up against Ballygunner, we missed three points in a row and you saw what happened that day.
“You learn from your mistakes and by God that wasn’t going to happen again and this year we learned from our mistakes. We nearly lost that Leinster final and then we had great motivation to get back to an All-Ireland final.
“Against Crokes, we could have easily dropped the towel there and fell on our knees but we dug deep and dug it out. Against Ballygunner as well, that little bit of toughness, that little bit of resilience is after coming through.
“That’s what makes great teams. When teams come at you, you have that little bit of toughness to go to the extra wire.”
Ballyhale are now just one victory away from claiming an unprecedented ninth All-Ireland club SHC title. They lead the roll of honour on eight, with Birr and Portumna next in line, both on four.
The Kilkenny outfit will be strong favourites to beat Dunloy, who have lost four previous finals, when they meet at Croke Park on the weekend of January 21st-22md. And for Reid, Sunday in Croke Park was the ideal way to wrap up 2022.
“The talk around Ballyhale now, going to mass, going into the shop, will be the All-Ireland final,” he said.
“What better way to be celebrating Christmas than getting ready for an All-Ireland final? It’s a great place to be.”
A familiar one for them, too.
