In the week that one former Celtic youth prospect is in the headlines after securing a cross-channel move, Paul Cahillane is focusing on hometown glory as Portlaoise face Ballyboden St Enda's in the AIB Leinster SFC final.
Cahillane spent three years with the Glasgow club as a teenager before returning home, a fate similar to that of former Dundalk star Richie Towell.
"It was very difficult to pull myself away from that and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I absolutely love it and I just want more success with this team."
Since experiencing rejection at Celtic Park at a young age, both men have enjoyed renaissances in their respective careers.
Dubliner Towell topped the scoring charts in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division this season as Dundalk secured back-to-back title success, doing enough in the process to earn himself a move to Championship challengers Brighton.
However, it is a different kind of championship that provided Cahillane with a sporting outlet.
And the O'Moore County man admits that he was lost after being discarded by Celtic at the age of 19. "I didn't know what to do with myself, it was very tough."
Cahillane had agreed to return to school if his soccer career did not work out, and while there he was persuaded back in to a green and white strip again, albeit the single hoop of the Portlaoise jersey rather than its more famous Glasgow counterpart.
Cahillane first returned to play Under-21 action with the town, before also featuring for Laois Under-21s the same year.
It wasn't long before the club's senior management came calling, with Cahillane agreeing to give then manager John Mulligan "one year".
Seven years later, the corner forward remains a feature of a Portlaoise side that has dominated the Laois championship.
With his school days complete, the former Ireland Under-17 and Under-19 international realised the value of the GAA community.
"I went about getting a degree in Maynooth and looking down other avenues and GAA started becoming more prominent for me.
"I realised how much community spirit and a close-knit family and a group of friends can benefit you when you are going through a tough time.That's why I hope to constantly repay the club for what they've done for me.
"I love playing with this team, I got to go back into a competitive environment with my best friends and we were successful and good at what we did.
"It was very difficult to pull myself away from that and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I absolutely love it and I just want more success with this team."
Cahillane's return coincided with the most recent of Portlaoise's seven Leinster titles, but while they have dominated Laois football since, provincial glory has remained elusive.
The midland kingpins suffered successive final defeats to Dublin opposition in 2012 and 2013.
"We'd have regrets about the 2012 (Leinster) final against Ballymun [Kickhams]. The following year, against [St] Vincent's, we played well and they played well, it was a good game but the better team won on the day.
"Against Ballymun we just didn't turn up. I personally was terribly poor, we'd only a few guys who could hold their heads high after that game, that was the most disappointing thing. There's nothing worse than not performing."
Having defeated Kildare champions Sarsfields before firing five goals, including two from Cahillane, past Longford's Emmet Og, they now face Dublin opposition once more in Sunday's decider in Tullamore.
"You have to appreciate the mammoth task ahead of us," Cahillane said.
"We're playing against a team that has taken apart Vincent's, took down the Brogans and Plunkett's, tore strips off Kilmacud Crokes at times and put St Loman's and St Pat's to the sword, two teams that we've struggled over ourselves in Leinster.
"We've played against teams that haven't had massive success in Leinster. We're 100 per cent massive underdogs coming into it but there's always an underdog that turns it around and maybe that'll be us this weekend."
While he has also returned to soccer, winning a SSE Airtricity Division One title with Wexford Youths this season, Cahillane has not ruled out returning to the intercounty fold with Laois.
Former Portlaoise manager Mick Lillis, father of his club teammate Kieran, was recently appointed county manager, but the forward says this would not influence his decision.
"It just didn't work out for the last few years because the soccer took off and I went with the flow. If I was lucky enough to get a call-in I'd have to sit down and talk and weigh up what I want to do next year," he revealed.
"There is this perception that Portlaoise lads don't want to play for Laois which is false. There are valid reasons for all of them so far. A lot of our better players are older with families and the GAA lifestyle now makes that difficult to manage. A lot of our younger lads may be ready to step up now and if they're free to do it great. Time will tell."
Reflecting on Towell and what might have been, Cahillane, a teacher in Portlaoise CBS now following his Maynooth days, seems contented with his lot.
"It's all ifs and buts, I chose one path and he chose the other and it's worked out brilliantly for him.
"A lot of lads who come back still have that attitude to get back over. Richie was one of them and he's just proved it. He was always totally dedicated and it was only a matter of time."
