Opinion: Tj Reid

[peddlerscross]

He’s very good yeah but he keeps winning these Man of the Match awards because no one else stands out.

[Malarkey]

@peddlerscross

RIP.Hurling I thought.

I’m watching hurling a long time now but Tony Kelly operating out of Left half back was a real low point.

Its simply astonishing that a Kilkenny team who were beaten out the gate by nearly 20 points in an AI Final 4 years ago are still getting to Finals. Bar Eoin Cody and Mikey Butler nobody of use has really come on to that team either.

Kilkenny were beaten by 14 points after hurling for well over half the match with 14 men. That Tipperary win was by far the luckiest All Ireland win since – well, since Tipperary’s win in 1989. Tipperary’s championship record 2020-23 makes a clear point in this regard.

[peddlerscross]

It was 17 points and lads have been sent off early in games before (including All Ireland Final’s) and it generally doesn’t result in a total collapse like that. Blaming the sending off is silly. Tipp had Bubbles sent off one year against Limerick after about 15 minutes and still won at a canter. It can be done.

Are Tommy Walsh/David Blanchfield/Billy Ryan/Richie Reid/Tom Phelan etc really an upgrade on the lads starting back then - Paul Murphy/Joey Holden/Cillian Buckley/Colin Fennelly/Richie Hogan?

[EstebanSexface]

TJ Reid to be still doing what he is doing at 34/5 is some achievement on top of an amazing body of work when he was actually in his prime.

Shows how good Kilkenny were that he was a sub for a while before cementing a place

[peddlerscross]

Cody whipped him off after 19 minutes in Nowlan Park in 2013 against Tipp.

At 26 years of age it genuinely looked like the end of the road for him there and then. To do what he has done since is astonishing.

[glasagusban]

Callanan was the same, both all time greats but came to that level in their mid to late twenties.

[Iggy]

Best thing about TJ yesterday was during the last 5 minutes there he had his head inside every single ruck.

[caulifloweredneanderthal]

Spot on. Seamie lit it up in 08/09, but was a peripheral/ frustrating figure until 2014. 14-16 he was the best forward in the game.

[gaillimhmick]

TJ > Seamie

[peddlerscross]

Yes Callanan didn’t start that game at 25 but came on for Lar in the first half and was good.

It was very hard to break into teams back then in Tipp and Kilkenny. The standard was incredible.

[glasagusban]

I don’t think there’s any question about that now but callanan was a generational player.

@caulifloweredneanderthal

Spot on. Seamie lit it up in 08/09, but was a peripheral/ frustrating figure until 2014. 14-16 he was the best forward in the game.

This is why it always annoya me when players get written off in their early or mid 20s.

[Watchyourtoes]

Callanan isn’t in the same league as TJ.

[EstebanSexface]

Completely different players

[CillDioma]

Ya one great player and one decent player.

[Watchyourtoes]

Right now one should have retired four years ago the other could go for another four.

[EstebanSexface]

Callanan was better than decent, in fairness

[peddlerscross]

Nominated for HOTY 4 times - same as TJ Reid.

No one else has ever done that.

Two of the greatest of all time.

[EstebanSexface]

I wouldn’t have much interest in these type of debates because it usually ends up with lads denigrating a lad for no reason other than to win an argument.

They way i think about it is, if i had to pick one of them, for any 6 of the forward positions, id pick tj in every single position every time. Thats more a reflection on how good i think reid is and not a knock on callanan

[peddlerscross]

That is fair enough.

[Malarkey]

@peddlerscross

It was 17 points

3-25 to 0-20 was the scoreline, on a point of fact.

The likelihood is that Limerick will beat Kilkenny in a fortnight’s time. But I think it is odd to hold that Kilkenny 2023 are “useless”. I would use the term ‘promising at times but erratic’.