Colm Cooper just wants the team to win, says Micheál Burns of Gooch sub role
Wednesday 14 November 2018 17:00, UK
Dr Crokes star Micheál Burns has praised veteran Colm Cooper's reaction to being used as a substitute.
'The Gooch' has done it all in Gaelic football. With five All-Ireland titles, eight All-Stars and a club All-Ireland medal to boot, he could be forgiven for lacking the drive to carry on when demoted to the bench for Dr Crokes.
However, according to teammate Micheál Burns, the former Kingdom forward's hunger to keep fighting for the cause is as strong as ever.
"Colm just wants the team to win," explained Burns. "He's done it all in the game. He's won it all. He's been there, done that. For a fella who's not getting his place he could easily kind of walk away and say 'I've done enough for this team'. But no, he's still driving it on.
"I think he just loves the Crokes. He loves the whole environment. He loves football. He loves playing. It's what he loves to do and he's going to do it as long as he can do it."
Burns knows that being left on the bench can leave a player in a lonely situation.
"In 2017, I couldn't get my place. I had a few injuries at the start of the year. I just couldn't get my place, there were fellas playing well and the balance of the team was good.
"When you do get a jersey, you're looking over your shoulder constantly, knowing there's a fella there waiting for you. If you don't play well, someone else will come in and play well and that's the way it should be."
However, upon seeing Gooch's reaction in recent weeks, Burns admitted he regrets reacting so negatively to being dropped.
"When I wasn't playing in 2017, I was younger and I mightn't have reacted maybe in the best at times. But then you look at Colm and the way he's reacted and it would make you feel a bit bad about how you might have reacted yourself when you see someone like that. He's just pure focused on the team winning and the team coming first and that's it."
The Killarney outfit are preparing for a third consecutive Munster final on Sunday week, with Milltown Malbay of Clare standing in their way of another provincial title. Given the depth within the Kerry champions' squad, and the calibre on the bench, it would be hard to bet against them.
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