2013: A gift that kept on giving

Late August 1997 and Ger Loughnane is talking about life, the universe and hurling in a hotel in Ennis.

Clare are 70 minutes away from a second All-Ireland title in three years and the whole world has turned to saffron and blue.

At this precise moment indeed, with the Banner having seen off Cork, Tipperary and Kilkenny to reach the final, it appears unlikely that hurling will ever be the same again. But Loughnane knows better. He knows he has to make hay in good weather.