By Cian O'Connell

Ultimately it was a story all about Ballyhale Shamrocks' resilience and resourcefulness.

Throughout the decades Ballyhale have responded to setbacks. Undoubtedly trophies have been accumulated as illustrated by a haul including nine AIB All-Ireland club triumphs, 12 Leinster crowns, and 20 Kilkenny titles.

The 2022 club final defeat to Ballygunner hurt deeply; the concession of a last gasp goal merely added an extra layer of pain.

Shamrocks came thundering back, though, with TJ Reid acknowledging just how satisfying the campaign that followed was. "One word, I suppose: special," Reid says. "A very special achievement. To be beaten the year before and have the resilience to come back again and get back to an All-Ireland final. For a small little parish, it doesn’t happen often. But we got back there."

Joey Holden and Colin Fennelly's contribution was critical according to Reid. "A lot of things were happening in the club," he says. "You had Joey, Colin coming back to get us over the line. It was just a sweet one. Probably the best victory of my career.

"It wasn’t just the final, it was the year. It was the semi-final, beating Ballygunner. That was special. That was a victory because we were being written off."

Defeating Ballygunner meant so much to Ballyhale. "Everyone was talking about Ballygunner being the best club team ever," Reid continues.

"It was a bit disrespectful after what our club Ballyhale Shamrocks has achieved over the last 10 years. Ballygunner beat us in the final a year ago so to get revenge… revenge is sweet when it works out. We won that game.

"You’ve seen the celebrations afterwards. Even talking to other people, that game meant a lot to the parish of Ballyhale. It’s not just us, it’s the club.

"It’s the people, the volunteers, the people who make the sandwiches after training – it hurt them as well that people were speaking so little of Ballyhale Shamrocks and regarding Ballygunner as the favourites… no fault of Ballygunner. The media and the press were highlighting that."

Reid, who recently returned to training with Kilkenny, is delighted that his fitness business is thriving again following a spell when the industry was disrupted by Covid restrictions.

"It has come back stronger than ever," Reid says. "It took time. Because at the start, when things reopened, people were sceptical of the virus. The fear around it. So it did take a couple of weeks and months.

"Now, people’s attitudes towards it is after changing. Before you used to hear every Tom, Dick and Harry talking about Covid; now you go into a coffee shop and everyone is talking, everyone is chatting like normal.

"Covid is all about your immune system, your wellness, your exercise, how Vitamin D was going to help strengthen your immune system and make it less likely to pick up any virus, whether flu virus or Covid."

There is significant interest in general fitness once more. "Most people over lockdown, because they had nothing else to do, picked up walking or cycling," Reid remarks. "Even looking at the Operation Transformation on RTE, they were a massive success as well. you could see all the people out walking and exercising. So the last months have been very positive.

"Hospitality is up. People are back treating themselves. Because we’ve seen anxiety and depression rose over the last two years so that’s great – exercise is great for anxiety and depression. People are more conscious and are trying to live a healthier life.

"Like anything, you have to have a good practice, a good product as well. We’re fortunate that my health and fitness club is a five star facility. It’s only a matter of opening the doors and people came back in. It’s our job to service our members the best way we can."

That is what Reid wants to do. The Ballyhale Shamrocks and Kilkenny forward is also busy preparing for what promises to be a lively Leinster Senior Hurling Championship.