Burke: 'not having an All-Ireland medal in my own back pocket is a big driving force for me'

Five defeats in six All-Ireland semi-final appearances up to that epic win over the Waterford club last month is an indisputable fact but Fintan Burke is harnessing it as personal motivation.

16 January 2024; Fintan Burke of St Thomas', Galway pictured ahead of the AIB GAA Senior Club Championship Hurling All-Ireland Final, between St Thomas' and O'Loughlin Gaels. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Being written off against Ballygunner was a personal spur for Fintan Burke and the perception of St Thomas as underachievers outside Galway is another for him.

Five defeats in six All-Ireland semi-final appearances up to that epic win over the Waterford club last month is an indisputable fact but Burke is harnessing it as personal motivation.

“We haven't ever really spoke about it. It's not something that I would have thought about too much myself. Obviously it's in the back of your mind that you'd like to... obviously not having an All-Ireland medal in my own back pocket is a big driving force for me.

“Yeah, I suppose it's something that keeps us going for the next year more than anything, that you want to get back there and prove that we are good enough outside of Galway.” 

Scoring 14 points against Ballygunner, 13 of them frees, St Thomas’ Conor Cooney made up for a difficult All-Ireland semi-final against Dunloy 12 months previously. He might have lost his starting place for Galway in 2023 but Burke is a steadfast supporter of his.

“I've seen it a lot on social of him saying that there was a dip in form. For the county he's probably used for a different role than he would be with the club. Obviously, with the club he's centre-forward and he's on the frees and he's dictating everything we do. He's literally running the show up there.

“With the county, and even with the club, people probably don't notice the work rate and the tackles. He's always top of the charts for running and tracking runners and turnovers and stuff. It's probably a pity that for him that it doesn't get noticed, the work he does off the ball more than with the ball. But there's never any doubt in our mind, or any of our minds, how good he is. When he's on form, it really helps the team.” 

What also assists St Thomas’ is their final experience of 2019 as harrowing as it was against Ballyhale Shamrocks especially for Burke who tore his cruciate injury in the game – “it’s definitely in the top three lowest days that I’ve ever put down on the field or off it.” 

It has to count for something, he says. “It’s nice to know we’ve been there before and experienced the occasion albeit probably in the worst possible way for me personally and the team getting beaten so much. It’s just nice to know in the back of your mind that we’ve been there and we know what it’s about, the day, the atmosphere and what it feels like travelling up to Croke Park on that day.” 

Burke’s preparation for Sunday started a little later because of a pre-booked 10-day holiday in Dubai and Sydney. O’Loughlin Gaels are a club he and St Thomas’ are acquainted with after they hosted them in a Feile in Galway 13 years ago.

“I would have known a good few of them from that and stayed in contact with one or two of them and met one or two playing with the county and you’d be friendly enough with them. That same Feile year they gave us an awful trimming in our place. Fingers crossed it doesn't go the same way.”