Diagnosed with testicular cancer in April 2015, the Tipperary star was forced to consider life differently. “It’s something that’ll never leave you,” he says. “You have to deal with different things at different stages and that was just something that came my way. I was lucky enough to come out the other side. You get on with doing what you can to the best of your ability afterwards and I’m lucky to be able to do that. You might think of things a lot differently but I don’t think it changed the person I was too much.

“In one sense it perhaps made me a small bit more carefree. You don’t know what is coming down the line so enjoy what you are doing and make the most of it while you can.

“You’d be a bit more conscious of doing things while you can, it could be something as simple as going on holiday.

“A lot of people say when you are playing inter-county you don’t have time to do things but I love doing it. But that’s what I enjoy doing — I love spending the time training and playing the matches.”

Now in his 11th senior season with Tipperary, the 28-year-old has been joined by another brother, Brian, who excelled at full-back for the U21 side that upset Cork in last year’s All-Ireland final.

Together with John, they are the first trio of brothers to make a senior county panel since the Bonnars. After injuries, Brian and John are expected to feature soon but Noel insists there is nothing distinguishing them when they train.

“The three of us are used to playing together for the club, the last four or five years at senior level, and it is a nice thing to have the three there, but at the same time you’re just three lads fighting it out among a panel of players to be the best that you can be and to do the best for Tipperary.

“If you’re at home in our house, you wouldn’t see any difference, we’re just used to going together for Loughmore-Castleiney matches and now luckily enough we’re getting the chance to go in training together with Tipp.”

As for the possibility of all three lining out together, McGrath shrugs: “You just don’t know. Luck has a lot to do with making it at inter-county level. There’s loads of fellas you’d say probably should have played with Tipp, or could have played with this county or that county, but timing and injuries, getting in at the right time, putting in a few good performances, all those things count for a lot. So look, there was always a chance that the two of them were going to come in but it’s no different than anyone else, you have to work hard at it.

“Just because you’re good at 16, 17, 18, even 20, doesn’t guarantee anything. You have to keep working, keep learning. The two lads were no different to anyone coming in. But hopefully it’ll be nice to look back on, especially if Tipp are successful.”