David Burke isn’t human. The 2017 All-Ireland winning captain for Galway missed the entire intercounty season in 2023 due to the dreaded anterior cruciate ligament injury. But in the space of ten months, he has just put in a man-of-the-match performance to help his native St Thomas’ reclaim the All-Ireland hurling title for the first time in 11 years.
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David Burke the star of St. Thomas' All-Ireland victory
Against all odds - and not without a touch of controversy - St. Thomas' of Galway were crowned All-Ireland champions on Sunday afternoon, despite playing the vast majority of the second half with 14 men after James Regan was sent off just after the break.
Scór Lán-Ama@oloughlingaels 0-17@StThomassHC 0-18
'We do what we do best, we dogged it out.'
Comhghairdeas le David Burke, Laoch na hImeartha.👏 @GAA_BEO #GAABEO pic.twitter.com/lDQ0NxupJ3— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) January 21, 2024
David Burke was central to everything St. Thomas' did on Sunday and summed up the emotion of the occasion at full time.
“It's unbelievable you can hear the supporters there. What it means to the fans is incredible,” Burke said after Sunday's final, speaking to TG4.
“It was back-to-the-walls stuff in the second half, but we did what we could best and dogged it out. It's great to hear the final whistle go there.
“Look, I think we hurled ok. Probably, O’Loughlin’s were better in the first half, but we had chances and missed a lot. We just had to be composed on the ball,
“When James got the red, there was just a realisation that it was now or never, and every lad upped their game ten per cent.”
🎙 “Ah stop! In ainm Dé!” 🤯
Some score from Éanna Burke to win the All-Ireland Club Hurling Championship Final for St. Thomas’! pic.twitter.com/Hvo6Tg9vYP— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) January 21, 2024
David couldn’t believe it when he saw his brother Éanna's shot sneak over the bar to win the title, claiming it's up there in the best scores he's ever seen in HQ, as he and his fellow teammates channelled the hurt for the last ten years since last winning the All-Ireland title.
“I was roaring at him to hit it across the square. I was there, and there was somebody else there. I couldn’t believe he put it over the bar. It's one of the best scores I've ever seen in Croke Park to win the game. I know it was heartbreaking there for Mark Bergin to miss the free, but in fairness to him, he has come up with good scores for O’Loughlin’s all year to help them get to the final,” Burke said.
"It’s unbelievable if you had asked me even two months ago to get back out with the lads on this day and what it means to them. It's been ten years of hurt since the last time you could see the emotion in the bottle over the last couple of years. What it means to us is absolutely unbelievable."
Late last year, Burke spoke to me about how he sustained his long-term injury in inter-county training while trying to win possession of the sliotar.
"We were just doing a tackling drill with a player fighting for a ball. We came to the ball at the same time. Our knees were angled together,” David said.
"My right leg landed down, my left leg didn’t get down in time, and all the weight went back on the right-hand side."
The realisation of missing the championship only hit home when working as an analyst on GAAGO for the clash between Clare and Tipperary.
"It’s tough. I was involved on the match day and was still helping out the last day. I was still looking forward to the championship, nonetheless. I looked forward to all the matches and how the teams would set up." the 2017 All-Ireland SHC final man-of-the-match said.
"But interestingly enough, I was at Clare v Tipp analysing with GAAGO. It hit home there when I was watching Tipp warm up down that end; the weather was unreal, and the buzz in the stadium was there, and jeez, you'd love to be out there, you know, that kind of way it probably hit home over the weekend.
"It's still great to be involved on match-day and help with the stats lads on the back-room team, but it's a bit of a mixed bag at the moment."
11 June 2023; Galway manager Henry Shefflin and David Burke during the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Final match between Kilkenny and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
For David, his family and Galway manager Henry Shefflin have been key in his recovery process.
"My family has been very supportive. In fairness, I've been getting loads of texts the last two weeks off, people wishing me well. I've got five brothers and a sister, and my parents are hurling mad," Burke said.
"Laura, my other half, has been helping me out driving around; it’s vital because you need that supportive group.
"When it happened, Henry communicated constantly for the first two or three days. He was very fair because he knew what it was like, especially with the disappointment of getting the news.
"He was brilliant for putting perspective on it; there are more important things in life than playing sports, but he knew I wanted to hurl with Galway, and he knew where I was coming from. He was good to have around to have a chat about it more than anything."
Despite the doom and gloom of missing the inter-county season, Burke set himself new goals - primarily aiming to play some part in St Thomas’ club championship campaign.
"I've kind of set a small target. You have to gauge it daily to see if I can get back for the latter stages of the club championship later in the year," Burke said in early 2023.
"You have to set small targets instead of looking too far down the road to win the small battles."
After the drama and emotion of claiming the All-Ireland title on Sunday at Croke Park, it's safe to say that David Burke is back to his best.
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