TJ Reid’s wife Niamh De Brún-Reid shared a photo of the heartbroken ace being consoled by daughter Harper after Sunday’s painful loss.
Kilkenny came up just short of making the All-Ireland final in a tussle with Tipperary that was in doubt right until the final whistle.
A happier moment for all three after the Leinster final victory over Galway[/caption]
Despite turning 37 in November, Reid still remains a force to be reckoned with as evidenced by his haul of 0-11 yesterday.
While eight of those points did come frees he still demonstrated an ability to win ball out in front of his marker whenever he was supplied with decent passes to work with.
The Ballyhale Shamrocks icon did look particularly devastated at coming out second-best yesterday.
However, only three months ago he indicated that retirement from the inter-county scene is far from his mind.
Derek Lyng’s oldest Cat joined the senior panel in 2007 when he was only 19, and is one of the all-time greats.
Plenty of global sporting icons have continued to perform no matter how old they are.
Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo is still going at 40, and his Argentine rival Lionel Messi turned 38 last month.
Italian AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini played until he was 41, and the NBA’s all-time scorer Lebron James is still lighting it up for the LA Lakers at 40.
Dublin stopper Stephen Cluxton is 43, and Cork great Christy Ring hurled for his beloved Cloyne Glen Rovers club until he was 46.
Speculation over Reid’s inter-county future spreads when each campaign passes, but their stalwart spoke about feeling as fresh as ever ahead of his 19th championship campaign.
He said in April: “It’s mind over matter. If you allow age to dictate your life, you’re on a losing battlefield straight away.
“I never think of my age, I always think of how am I performing, how am I moving, how am I feeling, what’s my mindset like, do I want this anymore?
“Do I want to be going training three or four nights a week? That’s the big thing. If that want isn’t there, that willingness isn’t there, then that’s the time to go.
“Most of those guys who are over 35, prolonging their career, they still have that willingness to give it everything. That’s the big thing. You look at the likes of Maldini from AC Milan, Lebron, Ronaldo, Messi.
“I look at all those top, top class players, they’re still dedicating their life to it, and you have to. If you want to reach those barriers, you have to be willing to put in the effort.
“Most people think that psychologically you have to get older to reduce things, but you don’t. The time you do reduce it, that’s when you get left behind.”
GYM LIFE
A lot has changed for inter-county hurlers since Reid joined Brian Cody’s squad 18 years ago.
Recovery and nutrition are huge, science around athletic performance has developed hugely and gyms have replaced the pub.
Reid runs his own fitness centre on the outskirts of Kilkenny city and admits owning business in the sector has been a massive help.
He said: “I’m whatever age I am, I’m still doing as much as I was 10 years ago, or even more. Obviously, my job is to inspire people to be fitter and healthier. So look, that’s a given for myself.
“And look, it is easier when you know the industry and you’re a professional in that regard. So look, you’re tipping away yourself anyway.
“And the way modern hurling is, the majority of people have access to gyms now. I know years ago, going back, we used to come back and we used to be two or three stone overweight back in January.
“Now lads are coming back in better shape than they were when they were hurling, because just in modern life, the gym is more of a social thing now, which is great.
“That’s where they go and meet instead of going drinking, they go into the gym together. The modern day GAA players, they’re looking after themselves way better than they were.”
