Deise test for senior hurlers in All Ireland semi-final
Such is the strength of Cork’s defence this season that a quality player like Killian Burke finds it difficult to break into the starting fifteen as he tells Denis Hurley
NOWADAYS, the refrain from any inter-county manager or player is that it’s a 20- or 21-man game, that the lads coming in are just as important and that the team that finishes the game nearly has to be stronger than the one that starts it.
All nice soundbites, definitely, but not likely to be of much consolation to extra squad members who can’t force their way on to the pitch. One of those players on the current Cork panel is defender Killian Burke, whose minutes this campaign have been restricted to the league outing away to Waterford during the spring.
The Midleton man doesn’t pretend that it’s not frustrating being stuck on the bench, but he has to remain philosophical too.
“I obviously played a little bit more last year than I have this year but it’s testament to the lads that have come in there,” he says.“Our full-back line have been outstanding, I take my hat off to them really. Look, any way I can contribute by pushing them in training every day, that’s it really.”
It’s arguable that it’s tougher for a defensive sub than on offensive sub, as there is less chance of being summoned during a game.
“I think so, that’s very fair,” Burke says.
“I’ve experienced that in the last few years. We haven’t made a defensive substitution this year and again that’s testament to the lads. I’ve said it always, even to the younger lads who are the backs on the panel, it’s not as easy to kind of break into the back line coming on maybe than the forwards.
“It’s more of a specialised position I think. It’s either something is going wrong or somebody is injured if you are coming on. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I always say is kind of an All-Ireland final for me, you are really trying to push the lads. I’d like to say that our forwards get a big benefit from marking us as well.
“No, I wouldn’t say there is any less motivation for me to turn up at training. If called upon I know what’s expected.
“I think we’ve developed a massive panel this year in terms of everyone pushing and trying to get us over the line. Our training games this year actually have probably been a big difference, they are massively competitive games and that’s always great, everybody trying to get on the panel.”
To that end, it’s important for the subs to prepare as if they will be coming on.
“Absolutely, the last thing you want is thinking you are not
coming on and then after five or ten minutes getting called down,” Burke says.
“Look, I prepare for every game as if I’m playing the full 70 minutes, always, I think we have that right through our team as well.
“Everybody is ready to come on and make their contribution. If you look at our games this year a lot of our subs have come on and made big impacts, which is great.”
Cork’s Munster final win over Clare came on July 9, a year to the day that the county had fallen to Wexford in the All-Ireland qualifiers. To the outside world, the transformation has been little short of remarkable, but Burke doesn’t feel that there have been any dramatic changes, just that a few things have been tweaked.
“I think there is a little bit more going right, but there are a few core things that have probably changed this year as well,” he says. “I think we are a tight-knit group, we’ve kind of created a club type atmosphere in our team, everybody looking out for one another and it’s brilliant.
It’s tough. You still have to be really clued in. If you’re not getting on the ball you’re probably not doing a good job
That’s probably the main thing I’d say, much more tightness in the panel this year. Everybody really gets along, on and off the field.
“I think what last year proved is that we’ve got to take it game by game, everything is game by game.
“We have no right to look beyond any opposition or anything like that. We even break it down into periods as well.
“So look we are pulling on the experience of last year as well, we don’t forget that. People are on a high this year but we don’t forget what we went through last year either.”
Burke, who works as a business analyst with DePuy Johnson & Johnson in Ringaskiddy, is well qualified to assess the improvement of his Midleton and Cork team-mate Conor Lehane this year.
He feels that Lehane’s strengths are now being utilised to their fullest.
“It’s probably a credit to our management team as well, the way we are setting out to play and striving to play this year,” he says.
“We’ve got a process in place where we’re structured in our back-line and playing off the cuff in our forward-line. We don’t really have I’d say tactics or anything like that, it’s very much off the cuff and I think that probably suits some of our forwards.”
Those forwards could come up against a Waterford sweeper system and, having played that role for Midleton, Burke knows the importance of carrying it out effectively.
“It’s tough, you still have to be really clued in,” he says.
“If you’re not getting on the ball you are probably not doing a good enough job. Waterford obviously have many many variations of the sweeper. I wouldn’t say they are as kind of stagnant or as structured as everybody says they are.
“We’ve played them a number of times over the last few years and I don’t think the sweeper situation has been the same with them once. So they are definitely not as structured as everyone makes out.”
He’s hoping the team in white jerseys lose on Sunday, but away from hurling Burke supports another side that wears that colour – Fulham. It’s an odd one, he accepts.
“When I was young I didn’t support a team,” he says, “they were black and white and Midleton are too, it’s simple as that.
“I’m lucky enough to go over two or three times a year, I love it over there.
“My girlfriend lives over there as well so it’s an excuse as well to get away for a day!”