It’s a quite remarkable tally and timely at a time of transition for Kilkenny hurling.
With so many leading players retired from the 2014 All-Ireland winning panel, Hogan and Reid picked up where they left off last year to keep the Cats ticking over nicely.
En route to Liam MacCarthy Cup glory last year, Kilkenny racked up 18-149.
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Hogan scored 1-20 and Reid amassed a huge tally of 4-53.
Taking the pair’s contributions, they accounted for over 43 per cent of Kilkenny’s summer haul.
Of course, it’s not just scores that Hogan and Reid bring to Kilkenny.
Reid’s an obvious outlet for the high ball in around the square when he’s positioned in there, or for puckouts in the half-forward line.
Reid is taller but Hogan is still incredibly good under dropping ball for a player who is just 5ft 7″ tall.
This pocket rocket has a hurling brain that’s second to none and his ability to find and operate in little pockets of space is unsurpassed in the modern game.
As highlighted on The Sunday Game, Waterford didn’t help themselves with their approach on Sunday.
Tadhg de Búrca and Jamie Barron at times didn’t know whether to stick or twist, whether to go man to man with Hogan or let him roam and hope that a teammate would pick him up.
The Déise fell between two stools but what is now apparent is that to stop Hogan exerting a major influence on proceedings, he has to be man-marked.
Galway and Tipperary have versatile defenders who can fulfil this role.
Could Tipperary's Cathal Barrett be the man to man-mark Richie Hogan in a potential All-Ireland final? Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Cathal Barrett and Michael Cahill (the latter if fit) appear tailor-made for Hogan should Tipperary reach the final but deploying a man to do the job and actually executing it well are two different things.
Going two on one with Hogan is another option but that’s asking for trouble, leaving space for another lethal forward to profit from.
Another huge game for G Aylward 19 plays, 0-4, 2 scoring assists, 6 hks/blks/tkls Massive debut season to date
The best option for Tipp and Galway is to go man for man and hope to match up to Kilkenny.
Pádraig Mannion is the ideal candidate in terms of man-marking Hogan from a Galway viewpoint but manager Anthony Cunningham may be reluctant to take his best inside man away from the full-back line.
And what about Reid? How do you deal with him?
TJ Reid wheels away after netting against Waterford. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Size and strength is not enough because the Ballyhale Shamrocks colossus is a hurling powerhouse.
He was outnumbered one against two under the dropping ball for Kilkenny’s first half goal on Sunday but still managed to outfox Barry Coughlan and Tadhg de Búrca.
The beauty of Reid and Hogan is that they’re not confined to any nominal position.
You could place Hogan at midfield, centre forward, wing forward or corner forward and still expect him to do a job. Reid’s the same. If it’s not working in one position, they’ll move somewhere else to exert an influence.
The sheer workrate and intensity of this pair not only allows them to make their presence felt on the scoreboard, but they also bring teammates into play with selfless offloads.
If you preoccupy yourself with trying to look after these two, beware of a player like Aylward roving from the inside line to pick off the kind of long range scores he pilfered against Waterford on Sunday.
So the big question is: to man mark or not to man mark? It’s one we can’t quite get our heads around. Perhaps Cunningham and O’Shea aren’t quite sure either but on Sunday evening, they’ll have to think about it, and fast.
How on earth do you deal with Kilkenny's caped crusaders Reid and Hogan?
IT’S A QUESTION that will exercise the mind of Anthony Cunningham or Eamon O’Shea after next Sunday’s second All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final.
How do you deal with Kilkenny’s Batman and Robin, the black and amber caped crusaders that are Richie Hogan and TJ Reid?
Surely the respective Galway and Tipperary managers have already given it some consideration.
Between them, Kilkenny’s dynamic duo have scored 4-39 between them in championship 2015.
Reid is out in front with a haul of 3-25 but in a deeper lying role, Hogan is the man pulling the strings and chipping in with 1-14 along the way.
Combined, that’s over 55 per cent of Kilkenny’s scoring total in three championship outings this summer.
It’s a quite remarkable tally and timely at a time of transition for Kilkenny hurling.
With so many leading players retired from the 2014 All-Ireland winning panel, Hogan and Reid picked up where they left off last year to keep the Cats ticking over nicely.
En route to Liam MacCarthy Cup glory last year, Kilkenny racked up 18-149.
Hogan scored 1-20 and Reid amassed a huge tally of 4-53.
Of course, it’s not just scores that Hogan and Reid bring to Kilkenny.
Reid’s an obvious outlet for the high ball in around the square when he’s positioned in there, or for puckouts in the half-forward line.
Reid is taller but Hogan is still incredibly good under dropping ball for a player who is just 5ft 7″ tall.
This pocket rocket has a hurling brain that’s second to none and his ability to find and operate in little pockets of space is unsurpassed in the modern game.
Tadhg de Búrca and Jamie Barron at times didn’t know whether to stick or twist, whether to go man to man with Hogan or let him roam and hope that a teammate would pick him up.
The Déise fell between two stools but what is now apparent is that to stop Hogan exerting a major influence on proceedings, he has to be man-marked.
Galway and Tipperary have versatile defenders who can fulfil this role.
Cathal Barrett and Michael Cahill (the latter if fit) appear tailor-made for Hogan should Tipperary reach the final but deploying a man to do the job and actually executing it well are two different things.
Going two on one with Hogan is another option but that’s asking for trouble, leaving space for another lethal forward to profit from.
Pádraig Mannion is the ideal candidate in terms of man-marking Hogan from a Galway viewpoint but manager Anthony Cunningham may be reluctant to take his best inside man away from the full-back line.
And what about Reid? How do you deal with him?
Size and strength is not enough because the Ballyhale Shamrocks colossus is a hurling powerhouse.
He was outnumbered one against two under the dropping ball for Kilkenny’s first half goal on Sunday but still managed to outfox Barry Coughlan and Tadhg de Búrca.
The beauty of Reid and Hogan is that they’re not confined to any nominal position.
The sheer workrate and intensity of this pair not only allows them to make their presence felt on the scoreboard, but they also bring teammates into play with selfless offloads.
If you preoccupy yourself with trying to look after these two, beware of a player like Aylward roving from the inside line to pick off the kind of long range scores he pilfered against Waterford on Sunday.
So the big question is: to man mark or not to man mark? It’s one we can’t quite get our heads around. Perhaps Cunningham and O’Shea aren’t quite sure either but on Sunday evening, they’ll have to think about it, and fast.
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Analysis COMP:ALL-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship GAA Richie Hogan Kilkenny TJ Reid