Watching brief for injured Donal Burke as Na Fianna make breakthrough

The Dublin star suffered a horrific hamstring injury against Clare last summer.

ROAD TO RECOVERY: Dublin star Donal Burke has missed out on his club's recent success. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

It's the injury which ended Paul O'Connell's rugby career, and which almost did the same to GAA stars like Brian Hurley and Joe Canning, so Dublin hurler Donal Burke is taking no chances.

The All-Star nominee tore his hamstring off the bone in the opening minutes of Dublin's All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Clare last June and hasn't played since. The cruel irony is that his most challenging period in the game has coincided with his club Na Fianna's greatest ever season and their maiden Dublin SHC title win.

Burke, who is club captain, wore a maor uisce bib for the concluding stages of the Dublin championship as Niall O Ceallachain's side ultimately made up for the 2021 and 2022 final defeats to Kilmacud Crokes by beating Ballyboden St Enda's.

After that, they took out Raharney of Westmeath in their first Leinster club championship game and if they beat Kildare side Naas tomorrow in Portlaoise, they'll be through to the provincial final.

As it happens, today is the five-month anniversary of Burke's horror hamstring injury yet while he's itching for action and desperate to compete in the club's historic campaign, he will hold himself back. With an injury like his, there's simply no room for taking chances or cutting corners.

"It was probably the worst it could be," said Burke of the severity of his injury when speaking at the announcement that Staycity Aparthotel will sponsor Dublin GAA for the next five seasons.

"It was the tendon that's right up the top of the leg and probably the most difficult to repair and that's why I'm not taking any chances with rushing it back. It should be fine, I'm 100 per cent confident that coming back I'll be able to play to the level I have been playing but it's just about taking my time and not taking any chances."

Burke got a shock when he initially learned the extent of the injury. He thought Grade 3 was as bad as it gets with hamstrings. Turns out he had a Grade 4C, the very highest on the scale.

"I didn't even know it went that high," he grimaced, outlining exactly how it happened.

"I went for a puck out and jumped up and just landed and whatever way I landed I hyperextended my leg somehow and I just popped it. It was strange."

Burke's hope is that the Mobhi Road men can keep on winning to allow him to play some part at some stage. Realistically, that may not be until the All-Ireland series, if they were still involved at that stage.

"I'm nearly back now so hopefully in the next couple of weeks I can get back on the pitch," he said.

The surprise, of course, is that Na Fianna have made their big breakthrough in his absence. He isn't just the best forward in Glasnevin or even Dublin for that matter but one of the very best in the country.

He started all of Dublin's league and championship games this year, returning 1-52 from just five league outings and a whopping 2-59 in the Championship. That's a perfect 10 points per game. At Na Fianna, The Currie brothers, Sean and Colin, both Dublin players too, have risen to the challenge while AJ Murphy is a terrific attacker too. Burke, with brothers Sean and Kevin on the team, finds it 'nerve wracking' watching on but has done his best to offer whatever value he can.

"There are a few younger lads playing who are in their first year so I'm just trying to take a bit of pressure off them, that they're not making too big an occasion of these big games," he said. "It's just another game, that's kind of the mentality. And you're maybe doing a few more social things like organising things before the game, the night before maybe, just things to take the minds off the match or something."

Whenever the club run ends, Burke will be back in with Dublin for the 2024 campaign.

"Oh definitely, I'll hopefully be back training before Christmas," he said.