James Burke eyes historic Leinster outing for Kildare comeback

COMEBACK KID: Kildare hurler James Burke poses for a portrait during the 2026 Dioralyte Leinster GAA pre season competitions launch. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile.

James Burke is targeting Kildare's historic Leinster SHC campaign for his comeback from an ACL injury.

The Lilywhites are preparing for their biggest hurling campaign in a generation with top flight Championship activity and Division 1B games on the horizon.

Former captain Burke, a Joe McDonagh Cup All-Star at midfield for 2025, suffered ACL damage in the closing seconds of June's McDonagh Cup final win.

He underwent surgery in July which ruled the dual club player out of Naas' march to both county finals, recording a seven-in-a-row on the hurling front.

He won't play any part in Sunday's Dioralyte Walsh Cup opener with Galway in Newbridge either and expects to sit out the entire National League campaign. But participating in Kildare's first Leinster SHC campaign in 22 years is an achievable goal.

"I'm hoping to get back for April, to get back for the Leinster championship," confirmed Burke at the launch of the Dioralyte pre-season competitions in Leinster. "But I'm not going to rush anything either. You put so much into it that there's no point going back before it's ready. The aim is always to get back for the Leinster championship because it would be a pity not to play in that after the year we had last year."

Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid somehow made it back from an ACL injury in just five months earlier this year. Galway's David Burke and Dublin footballer Bernard Brogan made speedy recoveries from the career threatening injury too though Burke won't be tempted to try to emulate them.

"I saw 'Picky' Maher playing for Clough Ballacolla a few weeks ago too, it's mad," said Burke. "I don't know, maybe it's slightly different for Nickie Quaid in goals. I still don't really know how he did it. But especially 'Picky' Maher, I couldn't make sense of it."

Chances are that Quaid and Maher would be similarly impressed if they knew of Burke's own rapid recovery from a separate medical issue in 2018. Placed in an induced coma for three days after contracting bacterial meningitis, the then 19-year-old spent nearly two weeks in hospital. Yet just three months later, he came on for Kildare in a Ring Cup game against Wicklow and scored two points.

"Looking back at the photos and the amount of weight I lost and everything, it's mad to think I could even get on an inter-county pitch," said Burke.

He's a powerful force in the Kildare engine room these days. Three different county football managers - Cian O'Neill, Jack O'Connor and current boss Brian Flanagan - all invited him to join the big ball setup but hurling has always been his number one.

"I half considered it but I've never been ready to make that step because I have such an interest in hurling, I'm hurling first," he said. "My ambition was always to reach the Liam MacCarthy Cup."

Now that Kildare are there, the new target is to stick around.

"There's probably a lot of ownership on the current crop of players now to make sure we stay up there," acknowledged Burke.