Legendary Clare full back Brian Lohan has announced his retirement from inter-county hurling. A key figure in the Banner County's All-Ireland triumphs of 1995 and '97, and the holder of four All-Star awards, Lohan is considered by many to be one of the greatest number threes ever to play the game. He made his senior debut for Clare 14 years ago and along with his brother Frank, Davy Fitzgerald, Seanie McMahon and Colin Lynch, had backboned the Clare team over the past decade. Lohan is expected to continue his club career with Wolfe Tones in Shannon, however. Paying tribute to the man with the red helmet, recently retired Clare manager and former team-mate Anthony Daly said: "What can you say? He was the greatest full back I've every seen and I go back to the Clare team of the 70s, the Cork three-in-a-row team, Conor Hayes, Kevin Kinahan of Offaly, Sully (Diarmuid O'Sullivan) and Noel Hickey of the present day. "I don't know if he's the greatest of all time, but my older brother, who's more qualified to judge, reckons Nick O'Donnell of Wexford in the 50s was the only one to compare. "It was a different game in those days, the full back's main job was to keep the full forward out, but Lohan's game was to attack the ball, come out in front of his man. He was an inspirational figure to the whole of Clare. "He'll be sorely missed - how do you replace someone like him? You'll get someone to play full back, but how do you replace Brian Lohan in the dressing room, or over in the corner of the field when the game is on the line, when the team is away from the manager and a few words need to be said? "Brian wouldn't be a regular talker, but when he did have a few words to say, by jaysus everyone listened." Tweet

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