'I intend to live with cancer and not die of it'. That was his mantra - Cork great Ger Fitzgerald remembered

Ger Fitzgerald won’t be far from thoughts this weekend. At the age of 60, Cork’s two-time All-Ireland SHC winner passed away on St Patrick’s Day, 37 years to the day after he featured on a Midleton team managed by his father Paddy to All-Ireland glory. Paddy, himself an All-Ireland SHC winner, and Ger’s sister Gillian remember a son, a brother and a hurler.

MIDLETON MAN: Ger Fitzgerald celebrates with Conor Lehane and coach Ben O'Connor after their 2021 Cork Premier SHC final win over Glen Rovers at Páirc Ui Chaoimh. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

John Fogarty: How difficult have the last few months been for you as a family?

Paddy: Very, very tough. For my wife (Liz) and myself, Ger was our go-to man. If anything happened or something needed to be done in the house, Ger was there. Aw, he’s an awful loss.