Galway captain David Burke: Cork have edge on Waterford

Galway hurling captain David Burke has identified Cork as slight favourites to join the Tribesmen in the All-Ireland hurling final, a comment that will inevitably be stored for motivation in Waterford.

Galway got through their semi-final at Tipperary’s expense at the weekend and the focus now shifts to Sunday’s showdown to see who will join them in the September 3 showpiece.

Burke, in a roundabout way, ended up tipping Cork to return to the final for the first time since 2013 when it was suggested to him that Galway will probably be favourites, regardless of who they play.

“We probably will be, but we have been favourites for every game this year, so it won’t be any different,” said the 27-year-old midfielder. “We just have to deal with that. It depends on how the game goes the next day too; Cork could give Waterford a trimming and be favourites, because they have been unbeaten, as well.

“There’ll be nothing in that game either, it will just depend on the likes of Austin Gleeson, Kevin Moran, all of Waterford’s big players, but I think Cork have a better balanced team, on paper, but it will be an interesting game, nonetheless.

“Tadhg de Burca; if he is missing that will affect the balance of their team a bit more, but I think it could be in Cork’s favour going into the game. Croke Park suits their type of hurling, as well.

“I don’t mind who we get, but we will have to work really hard whoever we are playing against and we are excited to be in it and we realise we need to get the job done.”

Getting the job done is a phrase Burke used a couple of times at yesterday’s launch of the Fexco Asian Gaelic Games, which take place on November 18/19 in Bangkok, The beaten 2012 and 2015 finalist admitted he’s been focusing on winning the big one with a tunnel vision for some time. He said it’s why nerves are unlikely to suddenly affect him or the team as the countdown kicks in to the final.

“Ah, it will [be life changing], but I’m trying not to look at it like that,” said the St Thomas’s man, an All-Ireland club winner in 2013.

“I suppose what I’ve been telling myself all year and even in the last couple of years, is that I’m here to do this job and to see it out and get it done. That’s the way I’m building it up for myself.

“My job being captain is very easy when you have the likes of Joe Canning, Colm Callanan, Aidan Harte, and these lads on the team, who have been there for as long as I have. They say things at training that I don’t need to say, or they say things at the right time. Look, it’s obviously going to be a massive thing if we could bring the Liam MacCarthy Cup back to the west. We fully believe we can do it and we’re ready to do it.”