The all-time hurling championship scoring record and a 12th All-Ireland hurling final day out secured.
All in a day's work for Thomas Joseph Reid, who took his career tally to 30-544 (634 points) in Kilkenny's semi-final win over Clare on Sunday.
The Ballyhale sharpshooter’s dozen points (10 frees, a 65 and a sumptuous sideline cut) took him seven clear of Cork’s Patrick Horgan (24-555).
"I see Hoggy is coming back next year!" Reid said of his fellow 35-year-old when reminded of the record.
"Obviously, on a personal level it’s great but it’s not about me. It’s about getting the victory for the team. It’s a nice achievement to have. But now it’s about getting the body right for two weeks’ time."
Reid missed just one shot at the posts and set up Eoin Cody’s crucial second-half goal but it was the sight of the forward back winning a free in front of his own goal just before half-time that epitomised Kilkenny’s effort on the day.
"The spirit was there," he said. "The energy and the work-ethic was there. We knew what this Clare team brings. You have to go to the 75th minute to beat them."
Limerick will be the opposition on 23 July, as they were last year, when Reid ended the game as top-scorer but finished on the losing side in the decider for the fourth time in his career.
"It’s motivation, of course," he admits. "There’s a bit of hurt there after losing the All-Ireland final last year.
"But that’s all it is. It’s about going out to win the game. If we have any bit of bottle at all, any bit of pride, any bit of desire, that should give us the extra bit of energy we need. Because we need it.
"It’s going to take a great team to beat Limerick. They’re going for four in a row and deservedly so. You saw them against Galway, cruising through the last 20 minutes of the game.
"We’re under no illusion: to beat this team, we’re going to have to be at 100, 110% for the whole 75 minutes. At a flick of a switch, they can go from two points down to 10 points up.
"Coming in today it was about earning that victory. We have two weeks now to prepare mentally and physically for this great Limerick team.
"We gave them a good game last year but we lost. We’re looking forward to getting ourselves right for it now."
