Bernard Brogan admits his retirement from inter-county football only really hit home when he tapped on his phone and left the Dublin team WhatsApp group.
It was a swift, simple act that gave him a real sense of finality; after 15 years of blood, sweat and tears, his time in Sky Blue was finally over.
He leaves the stage weighed down by medals: 13 Leinster titles, seven Sam Maguires, four All Stars. Brogan will go down as one of the county's finest ever forwards.
"It's been amazing," he told RTÉ Sport's Marty Morrissey.
"The hardest bit of all of this has been leaving the WhatsApp group. It's something I didn't think about until the very end when I was saying, 'I have t tell the guys this before I actually announce it'.
"Then I was like, 'well that means I'm going to have to leave'. I did a little video for the lads, put it up in the group and then left. It was a tough one. It was emotional. I'm in London today and I was in tears nearly on the plane when I was thinking about it."
The praise has rolled in for Brogan since he confirmed on Thursday that he would not be returning for another campaign in 2020.
He found it difficult to pick just one highlight of his time with the Dubs, though the 2011 All-Ireland triumph alongside family members was particularly special.
"I've seven All-Irelands and every one of them has a different feel, a different story behind it," he said.
"In 2011, the first one, and to have my two brothers Paul and Alan and James my cousin and business partner there on the field was an amazing one. To get over the line after 16 years was phenomenal."
We need your consent to load this Facebook contentWe use Facebook to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
