ST THOMAS MANAGER John Burke wrote himself into the club’s history books yesterday by guiding them to a first ever Galway SHC title.
Formed in 1968 when Peterswell and Kilchreest amalgamated, they overcame Loughrea with a three-point win at Pearse Stadium.
For Burke however, it was something of a family affair. Five of his sons – Kenneth, Sean, David, Cathal and Darragh – all started the match while teenager Eanna was introduced from the bench with ten mintues on the clock.
Speaking to RTE Radio 1′s Sport at 7, Burke said he put the strong family involvement in the team out of his head:
“I didn’t even look into that. It’s an absolutely brilliant feeling in the house but it probably won’t sink in for awhile. They won it for their friends and neighbours.
It’s pure mad. They (his sons) love doing it and we just kept them at it. I’d have no problem managing them. They are part of the panel like everyone else.
It they’re not doing the work like everyone else they won’t be in the team. They have no qualms about it.”
Burke added that it has been a 10-year journey for this current team.
“This bunch of players have been growing and growing. We knew they had great potential and they went out and done it yesterday.
“We knew to get a good start against them. We got it and just focused in the second half and it got us over the line. I knew it was going to be close.
“We were beaten in the semi-final last year. We came back and said we need to go a step further this year. We took every game as an individual and it worked for us. We went out and played the match yesterday as just another game.
“We’ve looked up to the likes of Portumna and Loughrea. We kept working and tried to develop the young lads.
“This group of players came together in 2002 and won the U12 B and have developed since then at minor and now senior.”
