Burke: 'The stuff of dreams but it hasn’t really sunk in yet'

Eleven years on from their first title, Èanna Burke knows players will fully understand the weight of their achievement this time around.

Mon, 22 Jan, 2024 - 14:59

John Fogarty

St Thomas’ match-winner Éanna Burke admits there was a bit of fortune about his stunning point to claim the Tommy Moore Cup.

Burke had no time to look at the Hill 16 posts after juggling the ball over his head into his hand under the Hogan Stand side. With the benefit of the elements, he swung and struck the ball over the ball to seal an enthralling finale.

“I probably didn’t have the time (to look),” said the forward. “Sure, 60 minutes gone, I was out on my feet as well. I thought if it went wide, he (referee Seán Stack) might blew it up after a minute but just thanks to be God the guys won it out of the ruck. I just had to hit it. In fairness, the wind was pulling it in as well. The stuff of dreams but it hasn’t really sunk it yet.”

So jaded was Burke that all he could do at the end was embrace his opposite number Mikey Butler. “When the whistle went I didn't know what to do. I kind of hugged Mikey Butler, I was just so tired. It hasn't even sunk in yet.”

Facing two-time All-Star was a battle for Burke. “You might have a crossfield ball and think you have it caught, but then all of a sudden he breaks it on you and things like that. In fairness, there's no badness. It's all on the ball. It's perfect. We're sound with each other.

“He popped up and got a point as well in the first half. I was like, 'Oh Jesus, that's my man'. But that's what he's bringing to his game as well. I just thought if I stayed working and tried to wear him down... like, he was tired there at the finish, I was tired and that was it, thank God.

“I was alright. I was poor in the first half. In the past, if I started poorly, sometimes it got to my head. We’ve done a lot of work over the last year, mentally resetting and going again and going again.

“So I just thought if I kept ploughing on spaces are coming and I just worked myself into the ground and everyone else did and that’s what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter how many points you got in the first half or the first 40 minutes, you just keep going.”

Eleven years on from their first title, Burke knows players will fully understand the weight of their achievement this time around. “When won the first one, that’s when we won the first Galway. Not that we won it before our time but we probably won not even expecting to win Galway that year and maybe you don’t appreciate it how hard it is to win it. It’s been very hard.”

The 28-year-old continued: “I’d be kind of the opinion when people say we have underachieved at the end of the day we didn’t deserve the games we lost. We were outworked by Borrisoleigh, outworked by Ballyhale, outworked by Dunloy. We didn’t deserve to win those games. You just have to take it as it comes and be a man about it and go back to win Galway and do it all over again.”