David Burke is as honest as the day is long.
He’s had better days than the one he had on Sunday. He’s won more breaking balls, he’s caught more puck outs, he’s delivered more defence slicing passes and he’s stroked more points.
But on a day like Sunday, all that mattered was St Thomas’ getting out of Parnell Park with the win. That they did, it’s onto Paddy’s day again now and it’s not a bad place to be.
So Monday afternoon in The GAA Hour studio and the Galway captain is in a relaxed mood.
“I think the best thing that we showed was our character. We’ve shown that all year…”
His teammates came in for praise. None-more-so than David Sherry, the young and roving corner back who marauded up the field to hit the winner and to pull the fat out of the fire when the game was there for the taking.
“David would be a very versatile player. It wasn’t anything new to us…Once it left the hurl it was going straight over the bar,” said Burke, who won an All-Ireland with his club in 2013.
And so too did Ruairí Óg, Cushendall.
“I think to be honest, the only reason we got over the line was the respect we had for Ruairí Óg Cushendall coming into this game. We knew they were a really good team, that had the work done. It wasn’t a big shock for us when they did come in the second half. We were ready for it, we weathered the storm a bit,” he said.
St Thomas’ take nothing for granted, that’s in the Peterswell/Kilchreest breeding and neither does David Burke. So when the conversation comes to that Cushendall comeback, the 29-year-old is honest to a fault. He meets it head on.
“My man got in for the goal, he probably got the better of me in fairness over the hour… (For the goal) he went one side of the ruck, I went the other and he got in and stuck it in the net, that was a massive score for them.”
And what a goal it was from Fergus McCambridge.
Fergus McCambridge finds the net for Cushendall! pic.twitter.com/njRoV8rtVN
— The GAA (@officialgaa) February 9, 2019
It’s rare enough you’d hear a hurler admitting they were out-hurled by their marker but it’s a measure of the man Burke is that he doesn’t think twice about holding himself accountable.
That’s what makes a leader, it’s no wonder he’s the Galway captain.
Ballyhale Shamrocks will be favourites going into the club final on March 17, but with a man like Burke driving them on, Thomas’ will have every chance.
Listen to the full, brilliant Burke interview and much more from Wooly and Brian Carroll on Monday’s GAA Hour Hurling Show.
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