End of an era?
GAA Longwood legend hasn't called time on his inter-county career just yet
In 2004, a young Mickey Burke made his debut for both the Meath footballers under Sean Boylan and for the Meath hurlers in the same year. Last Saturday, the Longwood veteran put in a man-of-the-match performance for the Meath hurlers, writes Tom Gannon.
Burke's commitment to Meath football and hurling over a career that has spanned over 20 years has been absolutely phenomenal.
As a servant to Meath GAA, there are very few, if any, men who can match what Mickey Burke has given to the two sports that he loves. A truly remarkable career, and if last Saturday was the end, Mickey Burke can walk away from a stellar dual career for Meath, a very proud man.
After Saturday’s loss to Donegal Burke admitted he is considering his future with Meath but did say that he has not made a decision just yet.
"I'm not going to make a decision today, there is probably lads out there thinking 'what is that eejit at, would he ever just give up'," said Burke.
"At the end of the day, I'm not picking myself. Johnny rang me in October and I got the pass from the missus to go back again. I love Meath and I love my county. You never know when your last game is going to be. I know that time is not on my side, but today is not the day to make a decision," said Burke.
"For a limited player coming from Longwood, I've given it everything. I'll go back to my club now and we'll have a think about it and we will see what Johnny thinks. If it is the end, I have had a great run of it."
Physically, Burke feels that he is in a very good place, and he is very happy with where his body is at right now. However, family and work commitments will play a factor in whether or not we will see Burke again in the green and gold of Meath.
"It's not in any way a physical thing. My numbers on the GPS and gym work are good. The reason I have to make a decision is just time," admitted the Longwood man.
"I'm busy with the pub work and the business and I have a little daughter now, so all these factors have to be considered. We will see what happens, I am not going to decide on emotion."
Burke was disappointed with Meath's performance against Donegal last Saturday and their overall Christy Ring cup campaign. The corner back thinks that the side have some reflection to do during the winter months.
"Ultimately, it is not where we want to be. Today was disappointing, we won't make any excuses, Donegal deserved that win. Our goal was to get to the Christy Ring final, and we came up short. We have to have a good look at ourselves in the mirror now."
As for the future of Meath hurling, Burke reckons there needs to be some joined-up thinking regarding the style of hurling that Meath play, not just at senior level but also at u-20s and minor.
"I suppose we are kind of in a situation where maybe it is better if we focus on developing the likes of the u-20s. Get them boys into the gym and try and be a good Joe McDonagh team in 2030," he said
"There is no quick fix to this. Our seniors, u-20's and minors need to come together, and we need to be on the same page. Let the three teams be playing the same type of hurling and doing the same sort of training. It is not going to happen overnight, but as a county, we need to build for the future."