by Paddy Hickey

The man who steered Kildare to his county's first All-Ireland title in 53 years says he is unsure if he will continue at the Lilywhites' helm for the 2019 campaign.

After succeeding Bryan Murphy in the hot seat last autumn, Davy Burke guided Kildare to this year's first-ever All-Ireland under-20 crown, his charges beating Dublin in the Leinster final, Kerry at the All-Ireland semi-final stage and Mayo in the decider on August 5.

"Yes, of course, it was very satisfying to help Kildare win their first All-Ireland title since the under-21 success against Cork in 1965, and additionally because it was my first year as manager of the team" said Burke, a member of the Confey club in the north of the county.

"But, despite that, I have an open mind of whether I would like to be involved once again with the under-20s in next year's Championship.

"It's a very time-consuming role and there are a lot of things that will have to be considered before I decide one way or the other whether I would like to be involved again in 2019.

"This year's under-20 Championship did not get under way until May, but really you have to start making preparations for the Championship as early as the previous November.

"Within the next few weeks, I will be having talks with the Kildare Board, and, of course, I will also be discussing with my wife the implications of continuing on next year with the under-20 team.

"If I do decide to stay on for 2019, the omens for Kildare would be quite favourable, as out of this year's panel of 32 players, twelve of those lads would be re-eligible for next year, with three or four being starters in this year's matches.

"And it's an added boost that three lads who would have been under-age for the former minor age limit of under-18, but were ineligible for this year because of the change of the minor age limit to under-17, were part of our development squad this year," added Burke, who is only 30 years of age.

Incidentally, it's a telling indication of the Confey man's unstinting commitment to the Kildare under-20 side is that he postponed his honeymoon until after the All-Ireland victory over Mayo at Croke Park.

"My girl-friend and myself got married in May of this year, but because of the matches, training etc, we just didn't get sufficient time to get away until after the All-Ireland final," he remarked.

Understandably, down the line there is nothing that Burke would prefer more than to be entrusted with the managership of the Kildare senior team, and steering the Lilywhites' under-20s to All-Ireland success will certainly have enhanced his credentials in that regard.

But stepping up the top-level role is not something that he is angling for in the short term.

"It would be a great honour to manage the Kildare senior team at some stage, but it's not something that I would have my eyes on in the immediate future," he pointed out.

"At the moment, Cian O'Neill is doing a super job with the senior team, getting them to the 'Super 8s' this year.

Although not recognised as a household name by football fans around the country, Burke has been involved with looking after teams since he was in his mid-teens.

"When I was 15, I picked up a very serious injury which unfortunately finished my football playing career," he pointed out.

"I tore the cruciate ligament in my knee, and as well I broke my knee-cap.

"Because the ligament problem did not show up on the X-ray, I went back playing eight weeks later, and I ended up shattering my knee and having to be put in plaster from my hip to my knee.

"I was advised to quit playing altogether, and I then decided to get involved looking after teams.

"In the meantime, I've managed the Confey under-18 and under-14 teams, Trinity College ladies' team and the Kildare ladies' team, beating Clare in the 2016 All-Ireland intermediate final, and losing to Waterford in the 2015 All-Ireland intermediate final."

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