Grant hails Burt’s team spirit after famous Ulster hurling final triumph

Fourteen-man Burt had to come from behind time and again, but joint-captain Dara Grant said their refusal to panic - even when the odds were stacked against them - was the foundation of their thrilling 0-20 to 1-16 extra-time victory over Lavey in Saturday’s Ulster Junior Hurling Championship final.
Trailing by four points at half time, behind by a point at the break in extra time, and chasing the game for long stretches, Burt summoned every ounce of resolve to stay in touch before finally edging ahead in the 80th minute.
Where did that spirit come from? Grant, who was playing through the pain barrier after suffering badly bruised ribs in the semi-final win over Antrim’s Conn Magees, said it was rooted in a deep sense of unity within the squad.
“There’s just a togetherness, and honesty in that team,” he said, nodding to where the squad were gathering for a photo. “The young boys drive everything on as much as us older boys. It’s unspoken, but you know that every man is just going to dig in.
“When we went a man down, everyone realised they’d have to up it. And we did.”
Burt suffered a blow when Ronan McDermott, their most dangerous forward in the first half, was red carded just before half time.
“I was on the far side of it, but in the context of the game it seemed harsh,” he said of the incident. “There was no malice in it. There was no malice in the game before or after it. A sending off can have a big bearing in a game.”

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Burt had already been without Aidan McKinney, suspended after what Grant felt was another soft sending off in the semi-final, while Ciaran and Paddy Curran missed the final through injury.
“It’s a privilege to play in a final like this, and we always think of the boys who can’t play.”
Having played in Burt’s last appearance in a provincial decider back in 2011, Grant was acutely aware of how rare these occasions are.
“Days like this don’t come around too often,” the 34 year old, who is joint captain with Stephen Gillespie, said. “Thankfully, our boys really stood up and performed today.
“Once we got going in the second half, I knew that we were in with a shout because we were going to fight to the bitter end.”
That fight was needed at every turn. Burt trailed by six midway through the first half, by four at the interval, and after hauling themselves level with just over ten minutes to go, fell two behind again late on before forcing extra time. Lavey nosed ahead four times in the extra period, but each time Burt answered – and finally hit the front when Fiachra Gill struck the winner in the 80th minute.
“We just kept coming back,” Grant said. “We have leaders all over the pitch. We were a man light and in fairness the defence stood tall too.
“The ball stuck up front when we sent it up, and that was great because you need a bit of a breather when you’re a man down.”
Referee Derek Argue might well have an ear-ache today. He and Grant had a running conversation up and down the pitch, with the Burt captain getting a yellow card late in the second half for perhaps offering one piece of refereeing advice too many.
“Beforehand, the referee invited the captains to talk to him, but he might change that the next time,” Dara grinned as he skipped off to join his teammates for a group photo.