Iād agree TJ is not as under rated as Richie Power. Probably not as over rated as Hide and Seek Champion Tony Kelly though would be more accurate.
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!There isnāt one Limerick active hurler with two great seasons put together so Iāll never understand why limerick lads have such a go Tony kelly. Heās also one of the nicest fellas youāll ever meet.
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TJ was brutal in 2016 All Ireland Final.
I agree with you . Kelly is a super hurler and a nice chap
A lot of Limerick folk have a huge chip on their shoulders about Clare since 2013. I think kelly won three 21s and a senior all Ireland. Doing the 21/senior double is an amazing achievement in the same year. If he retires tomorrow heāll have a innings many would be jealous off. Heās also one of nicest lads youād meet. Couldnāt be more genuine.
You love bringing in the personality of lads when you should be judging them on sporting merit
He changed his mind on Joe Canningās record as a hurler after āmeetingā him off the pitch
Thereās been some very personal criticism of kelly by certain limerick posters over the years.
Sure he knows everyone from davy Russell to jack o donoghue, all lovely
In fairness to Tony Kelly he also brought his club from pretty much nowhere to Croke Park and backed it up with another county championship 2 years later.
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I donāt know who either of those people are
Yes unlike a lot of great county Hurlers he really turns it on for his club.
Tony Kelly is a fantastic hurler who is fairly easily marked out of games by inter county standard man markers. Thatās about it
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You mean the combo by any other name that is Ballyea?
Kelly had a lot of it played by 21 too. Extended club seasons didnāt help either.
TJ Reid is a fantastic hurler. Sean Finn muzzled him nicely in 2018 when Cody targeted him, no slight on Reid, a bizzare call from Cody though.
He works so hard without the ball, his intensity and technique bettered only by his ability to think on his feet. Heās a class act all round.
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Kelly isnāt over or underrated. I think any fair minded hurling judge sees him for what he is. An immensely talented hurler who is inconsistent and mercurial. Iād have him in a similar level to Noel McGrath, albeit a different style of hurler. The same argument could have been made about the likes and f Pat Horgan, Callinan etc earlier in their careers too.
Kelly has played around 35 championship matches for Clare at this point and Iād say you could probably make an even three way split between games where he is
- one of the standout hurlers on the pitch
- somewhere from average/quiet to good with poor patches
- anonymous
The last two year championships is Kelly in a microcosm.
2018
First day out v Cork he was average with some terrible wides from out the field
MOTM v Waterford
Anonymous v Tipp
MOTM v Limerick
Decent first half in the Munster final, anonymous in the second
MOTM v Wexford
Anonymous for the first 25 minutes first day out v Galway before going to midfield and playing well
Second day out played alright with some poor decisions too
2019
MOTM v Waterford
Anonymous v Tipp
Anonymous v Limerick
MOTM or thereabouts v Cork
I have a lot of time for Kelly, he has proven he is a match winner at every level he has played at and is a glorious sight in full flow. But he is a flawed hurler as his ability to influence games varies match to match. The top end of what he can produce is as good as anything currently playing but he doesnāt do it enough to be considered a true great. I donāt think the balance of the Clare side has helped much either. No real surprise that we went on our best run since 2013 with two aggressive ball winners in Conlon and Duggan putting a run of form together and there was a balance to the team.
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To be honest he is a brilliant ball playing hurler who has been on a very average Clare team these last few years . The Clare team last year were utterly appalling and a few looked like they didnāt want to be there at all . Kelly didnāt hide or anything