Choose club or county. You can’t have both these days

Kerry won last year’s All-Ireland title without the services of Colm Cooper, the most sublimely gifted footballer in the country. Think about that.

Could Tyrone lift Sam without Seán Cavanagh? Could Monaghan win the Ulster title without Conor McManus? No chance. Yet, Kerry prevailed without the services of their best player.

That fact alone should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who dares to dream that their county might one day triumph on the third Sunday in September.