KILKENNY’S STAR FORWARD is set to captain their senior hurling squad this season after TJ Reid was nominated last night for the position.

Kilkenny still operate under the system whereby the senior club champions have the right to nominate the county captain for the following season.

The success of Ballyhale Shamrocks last October handed them the honour for 2019 and the Kilkenny People have this morning reported that the club nominated Reid last night to lead Brian Cody’s side this season.

Club commitments are Reid’s focus at present with Ballyhale Shamrocks preparing for their All-Ireland SHC semi-final meeting with Waterford’s Ballygunner on Saturday 9 February in Semple Stadium.

He will take on the role of captain once Ballyhale’s club campaign concludes and it will mark his second spell in that position after previously captaining Kilkenny in 2010 when they won the Leinster championship and lost out to Tipperary in the All-Ireland final.

Reid has established himself as a leading light in the Kilkenny setup since joining the squad in 2007 and will succeed Dicksboro’s Cillian Buckley as captain.

The 31-year-old has accumulated an impressive list of honours:

• All-Ireland SHC – 7 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• Leinster SHC – 8 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016)
• National Hurling League – 5 (2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018)
• Hurler of the Year – 2015
• All-Star awards – 2012, 2014, 2015

He will definitely miss Kilkenny’s opening leagues ties at home to Cork and away to Clare this season and could be absent for longer if Ballyhale progress to the All-Ireland final.

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He’ll be maintaining a strong tradition in his club of Kilkenny captains. Prior to that Ballyhale Shamrocks have supplied All-Ireland winning captains to the county in Ger Fennelly (1979), Liam Fennelly (1983 and 1992), Henry Shefflin (2007), James Cha Fitzpatrick (2008), Michael Fennelly (2009) and Joey Holden (2015).

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