Hard work paying off as Donegal hurlers blossom

Last weekend, off-Broadway, Donegal's hurlers staged a fine second-half comeback against Kerry in their home confines of O'Donnell Park.

It was a stunning win; their finest to date. And it was the first occasion that Donegal had beaten a Munster side in competitive hurling.

As it stands, Mickey McCann’s side now stand in fourth place in Division 2 of the Allianz Hurling League, just two points behind Down, Kildare and Meath.

The victory was all the more significant considering how they found themselves trailing 1-10 to 2-01 at half-time until a resolute second-half display, powered on by the likes of youngster Liam McKinney, saw them clinch a famous win.

McKinney, who scored 2-03 on the day, is one of the young dynamos driving the team.

Over the years warriors like Stephen Gillespie have kept the road open for the next generation, ploughing through the hard terrain, all the time keeping the flame flickering.

He wasn’t on the field of play last weekend but Gillespie has been a lynchpin of Burt and Donegal senior hurling teams for some time. With seven county championships in total, he made his 100th appearance for the county in Nicky Rackard final win over Mayo last year, hit a point, made the GAA team of the week, and saw his team come from behind to win their 4th Rackard Cup.

Previous wins had come in 2013, 2018 and 2020 and now, with players like Conor Gartland, Gerard Gilmore and McKinney, the next target has to be Christy Ring Cup hurling.

McKinney has open ground ahead - he was only 20 when he hit 1-10 for Burt against Setanta in the county final last August.

Gilmore was another key reason for the side winning the Rackard Cup last season. He ended the year as Donegal’s top scorer with 1-39 in the championship.

With such key