Just months after a riveting 2001 football championship had captured the public imagination with the advent and novelty of the backdoor, Ger Loughnane proclaimed in his book, Raising The Banner: “The biggest problem with hurling is that it is in danger of being swamped by football.

One former Donegal county man said it this week about Mickey Moran and his spell in the county that brought them to an All-Ireland quarter-final in 2002.