Camross boss Tomas Burke: ‘There’s nothing won yet’ ahead of Laois SHC final

Camross manager Tomas Burke knows his side will have to be at their best if they are to claim a 28th Laois Senior Hurling Championship title when they face The Harps in Sunday's final at Laois Hire O'Moore Park.

The Camross men will contest their 41st senior final as they look to add another Bob O'Keeffe Cup to their impressive collection, but Burke is under no illusions about the challenge posed by a Harps side appearing in their first decider in 28 years.

Burke is in his first season as manager, having previously served as a selector, and has guided Camross back to the final after their semi-final victory over Rosenallis.

Despite having already beaten The Harps twice this year, Burke believes those results will count for little when the sides meet with the senior championship title on the line.

"Oh God it's not, no. Look, when you take the job in Camross too, it's all about getting to the final and winning the final. It's bread and butter. It’s all about turning up on the day now. You talk to any lad in Camross; every other lad has a medal. We'll be no different; our boys are hungry. They're mad to prove a point; they didn't perform last year, but we're under no illusion that The Harps are going to be a serious, serious team. They performed very well in the semi-final. They've been performing well all year. They're playing great hurling. There's loads of youth in their team, loads of speed, so we'll have our hands full," said Burke.

Camross defeated The Harps in the league final and again in the opening round of the championship, but Burke is reluctant to place too much emphasis on those encounters ahead of Sunday's showdown.

He also dismissed suggestions that Camross should be considered favourites, pointing to the quality and experience within The Harps panel and their impressive semi-final victory over reigning champions Clough/Ballacolla.

"I think you'd leave them where they are because, at the end of the day, it was only a league. We didn't go out to win the league and I'd say they didn't either, just the way it happened. First round Championship match, lads were rusty. A final's a different ball game, like it's all on the day now. As I said, they’re probably playing better hurling than us. They beat the champions. I know a few people are saying we’re favourites, but any team that beats the champions, they're going to be a serious outfit. They're not there on luck, they're there on merit. They’ve won minors, they've won 20s. They have all the experience playing in big games too. They'll be more than capable. They've got great hurlers, they've got county men. They have hurlers all over the field," Burke said.

Camross secured their place in the final with a victory over Rosenallis, although Burke acknowledged that the semi-final was a difficult test against an opponent capable of troubling any team in the championship.

Rosenallis have continued to improve in recent seasons and their fitness, defensive organisation and ability to work the ball made them a challenging proposition. Burke was pleased to get through the contest but admitted there were aspects of Camross' performance that will need attention before the final.

"The Rosenallis game was huge because you look at it. Any team they played, every team's always struggled against them. They're incredibly fit and they play a good brand of hurling. They're defensively alright and they work out the ball. They can cause any team problems. No team has walked away with matches against Rosenallis; we knew that. You can say we weren't at our best, but we weren't let to be at our best too. They were very good; they're improving every year. Every year they come on, they're improving. We were just delighted to get over the line, really and truly. The couple of goal chances we got and missed, but that's hurling. We got a goal straight after half-time and we kind of let them back in handy too. We have to look at that. It has happened a few times this year; we just have to keep an eye on that. The Harps got five goals in that first-round game. If they do that in the final, they could win it. We have to try and shut up shop and hopefully our forwards click," Burke commented.

For Burke, reaching the final is also a personal milestone. Having played for Camross and captained the club, he took the opportunity to step into the manager's role after previously working as a selector. The experience has proved an enjoyable one so far, although he is fully aware that the season will only be considered a success if Camross finish the job in the final.

"This is my first manager job. I was a selector two years ago. The job came up in the club. I hurled for Camross and I captained Camross. I just said I'd go with it. I was talking to one or two of the hurlers. I just said I'd have a pop at it. It's something I'd like to do. I've said it since 2013 that I'd love to get a pop at it. The opportunity just arose and it arose at the right time. I just took it and, thankfully, look at the minute, it’s going well and we're in the final anyway. There's nothing won yet. Other than that, I’m enjoying it. Getting a good kick out of the boys. Hopefully now we get the win, that's all," Burke concluded.