Ciaran Kilkenny turned his back on a potential Aussies Rules career with Hawthorn six years ago and it's fair to say that he hasn't looked back since.
The Castleknock and Dublin playmaker decided that the oval ball code wasn't for him after six weeks 'Down Under' and he returned home to become a vital cog in Jim Gavin's well-oiled All-Ireland winning machine.
"I suppose I came back because the bond that myself and a lot of the players would have had, and especially the guys at underage level," he explained to the Irish Independent.
"A good chunk of the guys there now would have been 1993 and 1994, who I would have played at minor level with and would have played against them all the way up, U-8, U-9, U-10.
"It's that special bond that you create with lads that you play against at that age group. You're playing against your opponents but the bond you make having marked them - I would have marked Jack McCaffrey, John Small, Brian Fenton."
The four-time All-Ireland SFC medalist added: "Before I was going off to Australia (in 2012), I was at the All-Ireland final between Donegal and Mayo - a serious atmosphere, two serious teams. After that, I was hoping for the opportunity to, please God, represent Dublin there one day.
"The bond that I had with the players was the main reason, and the pride I have for the culture that we have and the grá I have for my local community."
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