"I love me county!"
It's perhaps the most oft-quoted line from a hurling interview of the 21st century, and with good reason.
Seldom has a man summed up the spirit and character of a team quite so definitively as John Mullane did with the wonderful Waterford hurlers of the 2000s.
Mullane broke into the Déise setup in 2001 and it did not take long for him to become one of the first names on the teamsheet.
The De La Salle corner forward was influential when Waterford won their first Munster title in 43 years in 2002 - they would go on to lose in Croke Park in heartbreaking fashion (a recurring theme of the decade) to Clare in the semi-final.
One thing that the 2002 season did also kickstart was one of the great rivalries of the modern age, after a humdinger of a Munster semi-final against Cork.
The Rebels would get their revenge in the 2003 final and, another year later, the sides would meet in the Munster championship for the third year in a row.
That famous decider is 20 years ago this Thursday and, aside from it being perhaps the greatest provincial final this side of 2000, it is perhaps best remembered for giving us John Mullane's beloved attestation of devotion to the county of Waterford.
Léigh an scéal seo trí Ghaeilge ar Liathróidí.ie brúigh anseo.
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"I love me county!" - 20 years on, John Mullane's passion is still incredible
Having gone 43 years since their 1959 triumph, Waterford suddenly found themselves chasing a second Munster title in three years in 2004.
Things were not looking good early in the second-half, when John Mullane was shown a red card for an off-the-ball skirmish. At the time, the Déise found themselves trailing, having spent much of the first half clawing their way back into the game after a lightning start from Cork.
Inverse to what one may expect, Mullane's sending off galvanised Waterford, and one of the great halves of any game of hurling played out on the hallowed Thurles pitch.
With just under 20 minutes to go, a brilliant goal from Paul Flynn secured the momentum for Waterford, and they would run out winners by a single point, 3-16 to 1-21.
To this day, it is remembered as one of the greatest ever games of hurling, and John Mullane's post-match interview with RTÉ was the icing on the cake.
Tony O'Donoghue may be best known nowadays for his long-standing role as RTÉ soccer correspondent but, from the late 80s right up until the mid-2000s, he was the Sunday Game’s touchline reporter, serving at many memorable All-Ireland finals for over a decade.
O’Donoghue was the man with the mic on the Semple Stadium pitch that day.
A visibly emotional Mullane profusely apologised to his fellow Déise men for his red card, and was in a state of utter relief that his teammates had gotten the job done.
His words to TO'D on the pitch that day have gone down in GAA folklore.
I'm just sorry for the people of Waterford, for what I'm after doing today.
To see the moment, there's been a niggle, it wasn't supposed to...I just love this county so much and I'm delighted the lads did it for the people of Waterford today. I'm heartbroken.
We'll see what happens [in the All-Ireland]. I'm delighted for the lads today. I don't know what to say, really.
Things were just going through my head. I don't want to let the people of Waterford down. They're my life, the people of Waterford are my life.
I love me county.
It is hard to fathom such an interview taking place in this day and age - it feels almost as much a time capsule of 2000s sports television as it does the perfect encapsulation of a great player and great hurling rivalry.
Mullane was surrounded by ecstatic Waterford supporters, who seemed almost more keen to speak into the mic than he was.
As the 23-year-old struggled for words, one fan even screamed into the mic, "He started us off - [you're] one of the biggest heroes of all today, John boy! GO ON JOHN MULLANE!"
He was right. Just before having been sent off, Mullane had landed a sensational point to kickstart the second-half of ages from Waterford.
Of course, any sportsperson will bear the cross of feeling they let their team down. However, if Mullane had taken a moment to look around at the crowd, he would have realised that his sending off had meant not one jot.
Waterford were Munster champions and, just as much as John Mullane loved his county, his county loved him right back.
