Replying To TheHermit:  "Ger Loughnane is, like that Clare team, a force of nature.

As a young kid watching on from across the Shannon Estuary, that Clare team were idols of mine. I think they are the reason I feel in love with hurling and esp the Munster Championship.

Maybe they weren't the best hurlers but by God had they steel, passion, ferocity and a never say die spirit. And what a bunch of characters and personalities to have all come at the one time. Davy, Dalo, Jamsie, Lohan etc etc. What men!!

In this day and age of say nothing and take your time doing it, can you imagine an inter-county manager looking into a TV Camera before the thrown in for the second half of an All-Ireland final (that there behind in!) 'and uttering the immortal words' We're Going to Do It'! Can you imagine a team captain receiving the cup and saying 'We're no longer the whipping boys of Munster'. God good what have to hear nowadays, 'See you Coppers', 'Cody's Winning Matches' - Christ!!

In fairness though it was a golden age, just for the sheer novelty of it all. Funny like it was said in the interview, my abiding memory is also of roasting hot summers. I mean the Offaly team of the time too were brilliant too, again a team full of charisma and devilment and well able to puck a ball.

RTE did a great radio documentary a few years back called Remember 98, or Who Fears to Speak of 98 or something like that. I was out for a walk on an Easter Sunday 3-4 years ago and stumbled upon a repeat of it on. It's really brilliant. If you liked Ger's interview this goes into the whole 98 season and all the controversy etc. Jesus - Clare were seriously hard done by. It's a mark of that team that while they could easily have kicked up sh*ite over the 98 semi-final, they went ahead and agreed to play Offaly in the replay.

Yes they were some team, and to this day I'd support Clare in the hurling.

More than anything they gave all us small ball underdogs the hope that maybe, just maybe they'll be a fella in a Kerry jersey lifting the Munster Cup in Thurles someday.

As a final point, fair play to Off the Ball for facilitating for an hour plus interview with someone like Ger. These days, anytime sports people are on, they seem to be shoehorned into 15 mins. It was great that they gave the time to cover so many topics, expand upon his life outside of the game and generally just allow the magic that naturally comes from talking to a very extraordinary guy for a good chunk of time.

I'd wish they'd do more such interviews. If only Paidi was still alive, I'd have loved to have heard someone sit down with him for a good hour or two and record it!!"

Replying To TheHermit:  "Ger Loughnane is, like that Clare team, a force of nature.

As a young kid watching on from across the Shannon Estuary, that Clare team were idols of mine. I think they are the reason I feel in love with hurling and esp the Munster Championship.

Maybe they weren't the best hurlers but by God had they steel, passion, ferocity and a never say die spirit. And what a bunch of characters and personalities to have all come at the one time. Davy, Dalo, Jamsie, Lohan etc etc. What men!!

In this day and age of say nothing and take your time doing it, can you imagine an inter-county manager looking into a TV Camera before the thrown in for the second half of an All-Ireland final (that there behind in!) 'and uttering the immortal words' We're Going to Do It'! Can you imagine a team captain receiving the cup and saying 'We're no longer the whipping boys of Munster'. God good what have to hear nowadays, 'See you Coppers', 'Cody's Winning Matches' - Christ!!

In fairness though it was a golden age, just for the sheer novelty of it all. Funny like it was said in the interview, my abiding memory is also of roasting hot summers. I mean the Offaly team of the time too were brilliant too, again a team full of charisma and devilment and well able to puck a ball.

RTE did a great radio documentary a few years back called Remember 98, or Who Fears to Speak of 98 or something like that. I was out for a walk on an Easter Sunday 3-4 years ago and stumbled upon a repeat of it on. It's really brilliant. If you liked Ger's interview this goes into the whole 98 season and all the controversy etc. Jesus - Clare were seriously hard done by. It's a mark of that team that while they could easily have kicked up sh*ite over the 98 semi-final, they went ahead and agreed to play Offaly in the replay.

Yes they were some team, and to this day I'd support Clare in the hurling.

More than anything they gave all us small ball underdogs the hope that maybe, just maybe they'll be a fella in a Kerry jersey lifting the Munster Cup in Thurles someday.

As a final point, fair play to Off the Ball for facilitating for an hour plus interview with someone like Ger. These days, anytime sports people are on, they seem to be shoehorned into 15 mins. It was great that they gave the time to cover so many topics, expand upon his life outside of the game and generally just allow the magic that naturally comes from talking to a very extraordinary guy for a good chunk of time.

I'd wish they'd do more such interviews. If only Paidi was still alive, I'd have loved to have heard someone sit down with him for a good hour or two and record it!!"