Jackie Tyrrell believes we may have seen the last of Cats legend TJ Reid after Kilkenny crashed out of the All-Ireland following an impressive second half performance from Clare in Croke Park.
Kilkenny led by five points at the break after a stunning goal from Eoin Cody gave them a cushion, however, The Banner were much improved in the second 35 minutes and despite another goal from Billy Ryan, Clare fought back to seal their place in this year’s final, for the first time in 11 years.
Speaking on RTÉ One after the game, former Kilkenny hurler, Tyrrell said: “I would have thought he was (going to stay on) but judging by those pictures after the game with his little daughter and all that, I've never seen TJ being so, I don’t know, reflective in his mood and his body language.
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“36 years of age and continuing to do what he does, he goes back to the club and plays through the winter.
“Looking at the body language there, I don’t know if we’ll see TJ Reid (again), which will make everyone sad in the hurling world, considering he is one of the best hurlers that has ever ran out at Croke Park.”
Reid missed a free heading towards injury time that would have tied the game after Clare took the lead for the first time through Aidan McCarthy in the 69th minute.
When asked, by presenter Joanne Cantwell, if Reid will continue, Dónal Óg Cusack responded: “Of course he is going to be disgusted (by missing that free).
“To get to that level, you must have the spirit to want to get everything right all of the time, not once at a time.
“That man missing one free will be a big killer for him, but how many times has he come back? So, I'd be very slow to write off TJ Reid.
“If he does go, we should be happy, in terms of, what we’ve seen him bring to the game.
“I always said he was a mixture between the likes of a DJ Carey, a Henry Shefflin, a Frank Cummins, rolled into one when you think of all those great players.”
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