Fintan Burke ready to spark Galway revival in Leinster SHC final showdown against Kilkenny
This time last year,
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Fintan Burke of Galway
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Fintan Burke and Galway face Kilkenny in the Leinster final on Sunday afternoon
To add insult to injury, Micheál Donoghue was in the alternate dugout that day.
Shortly afterwards,
That exit paved the way for the return of 2017
But the positive charge supporters had been hoping for was grounded in their Leinster opener, when an amped-up
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However, Burke and Co have transformed their fortunes since that April 19 defeat, surging into today's Leinster final rematch with the Cats on the back of four consecutive wins.
Electrician Burke reckons the memories of last season can spark his side as they chase a first Bob O'Keeffe Cup since 2018.
He told SunSport: 'After last year it's nice, it makes it that much sweeter to be back in it.
"It was bitterly disappointing, the fact we didn't really show up and do ourselves justice in a number of matches, more so than the Dublin game.
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'I think lads kind of bottled it over the winter and used it as motivation.
'It didn't really need to be said. It was in everyone's head. Lads didn't want it to be brought up — they didn't want to be reminded of it — but they were thinking about it at the same time.'
Having tasted All-Ireland minor glory — in the forwards — in 2015, Burke made his SHC debut in 2020.
And the St Thomas' man never had to look too far for inspiration.
His cousin David captained the Tribe to Liam MacCarthy Cup glory in 2017, with their debuts coming a decade apart.
The pair claimed All-Ireland club honours together in 2024, but sharing inter-county silverware can become a reality if they do the business today.
Now Fintan, 28, is one of Galway's older statesmen but David's presence as a conductor in the dressing room remains as key as ever.
Fintan said: 'He would have been a massive influence.
'He's seven years older than me, he would have been on the county team a few years ahead of me and he would have always been good to me.
'When you go in training he'd be giving you words of advice. It's fairly easy to look past it, but it is very helpful to have someone like that leading the way.
'I suppose a lad of his age and experience is . . . you can't have enough of them.
"Even when you go through stages of games where younger lads might panic or you might be under a bit of pressure or something, he's always there with a wise word or a set-play or something just to control the game or the next play.
'His hurling alone is more than enough to have him in there — not to mention his knowledge.'
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Winning a fourth Leinster title for the county would be a huge achievement for this group given the influx of youth.
Donoghue cannot call upon Joe Canning, Aidan Harte, Gearóid McInerney, Johnny Coen as he could when Galway won their last provincial crown in 2018.
But stalwarts Daithí Burke, 32, and David Burke are still leading the charge.
Fintan has never won Leinster honours but Pádraic Mannion, Cathal Mannion, Conor Cooney, Jason Flynn, Tom Monaghan, Jack Grealish and Conor Whelan also remain.
However, after last season a reset was required and a player overload during the league yielded fresh energy in the form of John Fleming, Joshua Ryan, Anthony Burns and Rory Burke — who made their senior bows this season — along with Gavin Lee and TJ Brennan.
Fintan Burke revealed: 'It's been good so far, lads are buying in, you see by the amount of lads Micheál brought in, there were 70-something lads in at the start — it's refreshing.'
And the ace feels the current is flowing again with all the bright sparks.
He said: 'I consider it almost successful the way it is now, when you look at the number of bodies we've used.
'We've used 40-something lads in the league and touching on 30 in the Championship, so it's a case of building for the future while trying to be successful.
'It is probably a hard question to put a solid answer on, but I'd be happy enough with the amount of young lads that are coming through and getting experience and building for the next few years.
'They are pushing hard and there's a serious competitive nature to every training session.
'We've definitely improved bit by bit, slowly but surely we've probably improved.
"Whether it's enough to get over the line against Kilkenny is hard to tell, but we're going to need to improve another good bit to get there.'
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