By Cian O'Connell

Fortune frequently favours the brave so St Thomas’ refused to wilt. Three defeats in their first four Galway SHC group games had them in significant bother, but the response has been energetic and emphatic.

A first County decider appearance since famously winning the title in 2012 ensures highly regarded manager John Burke is delighted to be back in the Galway showpiece.

“The years aren't long ticking by, 2012 is four years,” Burke, who managed a Thomas’ team that featured his six sons to All Ireland glory in 2013 reflects about the recent past.

“Everyone says when you are in a County Final that you'll be in it again, but that doesn't always happen so it is brilliant to be back in it. The lads have worked hard for it so it is great. We were lucky enough, we are lucky to be there, but it is great to be in it.”

Now Thomas want to capture a second crown at this level. “Definitely it matters, going back to 2012 we were saying to keep the heads, to push on,” Burke remarks about the importance of triumphing out west again.

“After that we had a couple of years where a lot of guys had serious injuries, we had a lot of lads who had surgery and bad injuries.

“When you lose three or four top players from a club team it is very hard to fill in them holes even though you have great players and young lads coming.

“It is just great to have everyone back again and it is great that they have a chance there again. Sometimes it mightn't happen so it is brilliant to get a second chance at it, to be going for a second one.”

That Gort provide the opposition merely adds another sprinkling of spice. “We are neighbours, we have played so often in different things, there is great rivalry there, we all know each other,” Burke smiles.

To have survived an awkward start to a demanding group means Thomas’ enter Sunday’s clash armed with hope and momentum. “It was a very competitive group,” Burke admits. “Any of the teams could have won any of the games. In the last four we had three teams out of the one group, it was very competitive. The players in all of the teams have a lot of work put in.

“The turning point for us this year really was the Castlegar game I think. With Conor being sent off, it sort of galvanised the whole set of players that evening.

“We had to fight desperate hard to beat them because they were going well. We got the win that evening - I know we went down then against Gort - but we still felt we had a lot to offer after that evening. What we needed to get was more consistency and as the games went on we got that.”