Club GAA has never seen anything like Ballyhale Shamrocks.
Above anything, football or hurling, that has ever gone before them, the small little parish in south Kilkenny is in a league of its own. Familiarity, it seems, would almost have you taking them for granted and that’s why, after yet another winter of wonder, it feels right to stand back and stare.
On Sunday, after trampling on the Clough/Ballacolla fairytale, the Shamrocks won their 11th Leinster senior hurling championship which means that, in the new year, they’ll in the running for their ninth All-Ireland club title. 99% of clubs, meanwhile, wouldn’t even dream of winning one.
Birr and Portumna are their closest rivals on four but win two more games and the Kilkenny club will be more than half the track clear.
Nemo Rangers top the football roll of honour on seven but they haven’t won an All-Ireland club in 18 years. Ballyhale, on the other hand, are going for three-in-a-row and having won national titles in the 80s, the 90s, the 2000s, the 2010s and now the 2020s, their pattern of domination doesn’t look to be stopping soon.
Ballyhale have now won 11 Leinster senior championships. They haven't been beaten outside of Kilkenny since 2012. Next year they will be in the hunt for their 9th All-Ireland club.
All this from a rural parish of just 300 houses. Club GAA has never seen anything like them ☘️ pic.twitter.com/iFyL1VQyTF
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) December 19, 2021
Clough/Ballacolla were given every chance this time around and with good reason, given how impressive they’d been on their way to this provincial final. But having started well they couldn’t stand up to Ballyhale’s exhibition in clinical excellence.
Eoin Cody is the next big thing. He’s a two-time Young Hurler of the Year but, in the last two months, he’s taken his game onto an even higher plane with Ballyhale. He scored an early goal today and his point just before half-time, when he brushed a tackler aside like you would a fly, gave flashbacks to DJ in his pomp.
Colin Fennelly was doing some magical things. TJ was acting the draíodóir while Adrian Mullen’s goal, after a long-range pass from his impressive brother Paddy, was a moment of pure class.
Colin Fennelly with the magic to score a chip in Croke Park 👌pic.twitter.com/BkSCw432DV
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) December 19, 2021
Darren Mullen was brilliant in defence, Richie Reid was almost foot perfect and after the 6-23 to 0-14 win, he was named man-of-the-match though the award could have gone to any number of them.
There was a scare for Ballyhale when, early on, TJ went down after jarring his knee but this man-mountain played on and told TG4 afterwards that he’ll be grand.
He also touched on the frustration they carried with them from last week, when they nearly fell to St Rynaghs and in that, you have the competitiveness and the standards that make this team the best.
“We have our own standards and last week we were annoyed with our performance,” said TJ.
“So today was to address that, the second half was to address that and drive it home. And we did that. We didn’t stop and we kept it going,” he added on the day he equalled Brian Whelahan’s record of seven Leinster club medals.
Having gotten married earlier this month, Reid says he’s looking forward to a few weeks off before going again.
“November and December has been two months that I will cherish forever. Between county finals, birthdays, weddings and winning today. I’m really looking forwards to a few weeks off to be honest because, every weekend, having training and matches, it’s lucky enough that it’s Christmas week now and we can celebrate with our friends and family.”
Lán Ama
“Our aim today was to express ourselves” 👌
Tuaraimí TJ Reid tar éis Craobh Laigheann a bhuachaint arís!@BallyhaleGAA @gaaleinster #GAABEO #TheToughest pic.twitter.com/DzcenQes3m
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) December 19, 2021
Wait ’til the new year and they’ll be ready to rock again.
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