Anthony Daly: 'Ger Loughnane pumped his fist and stirred the crowd into a craze'

In the first of a two-parter, Anthony Daly revisits the tumultuous and controversial hurling season of 1998

Clare's Brian Lohan and Waterford's Michael White tussle before being sent off by referee Willie Barrett during the 1998 Munster SHC final. 

At the end of 1997, the Clare squad were at another All-Ireland function when I approached a few of the boys, posing a question where the potential answer was certainly a concern deep in the recesses of my mind.

“Hi, your man (Ger Loughnane) is kinda delaying his commitment to staying on,” I said. I was anxious for an answer so I only saw one way of getting it. “We’ll go down and doorstep him,” I said. “We’ll ask him straight out.”