TJ Reid became the first hurler ever to break the 700 point barrier in championship hurling on Saturday but it turned out a bittersweet day for him.
Despite leading by five points at half-time, Kilkenny were pegged by Clare who won out 0-24 to 2-16 to advance to their first All-Ireland final since 2013.
For Clare, the win banishes the demons of the last two years losing two semi-finals in a row to Kilkenny.
A second half surge inspired by the likes of Ryan Taylor and David McInerney turned the game for Brian Lohan's side with Mark Rodgers and Ian Galvin also prominent in their revival.
TJ Reid was again impressive for Kilkenny, scoring 0-7 including 0-2 from play and a sideline but he missed a late free to level the game in injury time.
Clare won the next ball with Mark Rodgers and Ian Galvin working it to Tony Kelly and he eventually scored the point which put them two up. From there they held onto win despite a late scare as Richie Reid lobbed a free into the penalty area.
Speaking on The Saturday Game, Jackie Tyrrell says he fears that this may have been TJ's last day in the black and amber. Reid (36) made his debut in 2007 and is regarded as one of the greatest hurlers ever.
"I would have thought he was (going to stay on) but 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," said Tyrrell.
“36 years of age and continuing to do what he does, he goes back to the club and plays all through the winter.
“I'd say Looking at the body language there, I don’t know if we’ll see TJ Reid again, which makes everyone sad in the hurling world, considering he is one of the best hurlers that has ever ran out on Croke Park.”
'I'm not sure we'll see TJ Reid again'
Having watched the Ballyhale great on the field after the game, Jackie Tyrrell is not sure TJ Reid will return next year
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Donal Óg Cusack says he'd be 'very slow to write off TJ Reid' while Anthony Daly also feels he has 'another year' in him.
“Of course he is going to be disgusted (by missing that free)," said Donal Óg.
“To get to that level, you must have the spirit that you want to get everything right all of the time, not one 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've always said that he was a mixture of the likes of a DJ Carey, a Frank Cummins, a Henry Shefflin all rolled into one."
"I don't want that to be the last shot we see that man hitting," added Dalo, "because I think there's another year in that man."
