Last weekend, former Clare All-Star Seán Stack was forced to face his home club Sixmilebridge as manager of opposition Clonlara in the Clare county final. But a bizarre family affair in Kilkenny is about to redefine all we've come to know about conflicted loyalties in sport.
A county final is normally a proud occasion for any family who have representatives on the pitch. But for the Hogan family in Kilkenny, the senior hurling final will be a peculiar experience. For the second year in a row, they will have to watch two brothers play against each other in the Kilkenny hurling championship.
In one corner, Brian Hogan, an established defender on the Kilkenny panel will be wearing the green and white of O'Louhglin Gaels. His younger brother Keith however, will be standing in the maroon colours of opponents Clara.
While this distorted family affair will undoubtedly add colour and intrigue to the spectacle, the whole arrangement poses the obvious question, why are these brothers playing for different clubs?
Well like all sibling rivalries, the divisions go back a long way to when the Hogans left their first home in the city and relocated to the countryside. Brian retained his O'Loughlin Gaels loyalties, but Keith who was born after the move, deflected to Clara. Brian explains:
'I was born in the city and moved out to the countryside, above five miles out, when I was about seven or eight. Then Keith came along and although he started national school in St. John's, he ended up going to Clara National School and that became his club. His friends are from there and that's where he hurls.'
Brian has three senior county titles to his credit and today, O'Loughlin Gaels will strive to dust off another hurdle on their way to reclaiming the championship for the first time since 2010. Keith on the other hand, is hoping to inspire Clara to victory after losing out to Ballyhale Shamrocks last year.
It's also possible that the pair could be marking each other with Brian normally perched among the defenders while Keith operates in the forward line. This is an uncomfortable experience which the pair had only suffered once before the quarter-final face off last year.
'Yeah, I've come up against him once. As luck would have it, Keith is centre-half-forward for his club, but they didn't start him there the day we played them, thankfully, he played wing forward. He was a bit young and they didn't want him to be squaring up to the big brother. To be honest, it's something neither of us enjoy.'
But the brothers will have to renew their rivalries all over again on October 25th in Nowlan Park with bragging rights back on offer.
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