Kenneth Burke: 'It was some game'
St Thomas' manager Kenneth Burke. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
From under the Hogan Stand St Thomas’ manager Kenneth Burke watched, wondered, and waited.
The AIB All-Ireland Club SHC Final was deep into additional time. Thomas and O’Loughlin Gaels were level, the issue delicately poised. Burke’s brother, Eanna, gathered possession, before somehow getting a shot away from an acute angle.
In the wind, the sliotar went towards the Hill 16 posts. Kenneth Burke looked at O’Loughlin Gaels goalkeeper Stephen Murphy’s initial reaction. That is when he knew there was a serious chance a white flag could be raised. “I was thinking what is he going to do now, he just shot, oh my God,” Burke reflected.
“I knew by the goalie, the way he was standing, you know by the goalie if it is going to go wide or not. So, I thought this has a chance, it was an unbelievable score.
“The work rate before that, they were coming out, but we turned them over, twice. That was the winning of it, we got the ball back and a shot away.”
Since triumphing on this stage in 2013, Thomas’ enjoyed pleasant days in Galway, but there was often pain nationally. “We spoke to them inside there, they really deserve it,” Burke says.
“Ten of them were there in 2013, they have been the fulcrum of the team ever since. They've worked so hard to be here every time, competing in Galway.
“This was our main goal, to get back here, to try to win an All-Ireland. We are just over the moon. At times you don't get what you deserve, but today, thankfully, we did.”
It was a real battle at Croke Park. During a fiercely contested opening period Thomas’ were encountering problems against a pumped up and organised O’Loughlin’s unit. “They were definitely on top, they were hooking and harrying us,” Burke acknowledged.
“We spoke at half-time, it probably wasn't the man on the ball that was the problem, we weren't supporting and running off the shoulder, we weren't supporting one another, so we had to address that.
“In the second half everyone dug in, got little tackles, small hooks, a bit of a block. That is what it took. We eventually wore them down.
“The boys got some unbelievable scores, the conditions were getting worse as the game went on. Lads seemed to be getting better scores as the game went on - both sides. It was some game, we are delighted to get over the line.”
Thomas’ resilience and resourcefulness mattered. “The game was up and down, the boys just dug it out, it is an unbelievable feeling,” Burke says.
“We worked so hard trying to get back here again. We had a few hard days before probably galvanised them to really work hard there.
“O'Loughlin Gaels are a fine team, they pushed us all the way, we knew that was going to be. It was going to go all the way to the wire, we are delighted to get over the line.”
