With all the radical changes brought about by Congress 2017, one unforeseen effect of the altered Championship was the absence of a whole host of big name players before we entered July.
The new-look hurling Championship has seen Waterford and Tipperary bite the dust and players from both panels have used the opportunity to seek pastures new.
Philip Mahony, Darragh Fives and Tadhg de Burca all departed for Australia the day after Waterford's disappointing Munster campaign came to a conclusion, while Tipperary hurlers Patrick Maher, Cathal Barrett and Ronan Maher have pitched up in New York for the rest of the summer.
Boston Donegal will be looking out for Diarmuid Connolly, the player, the man. It's not just what he does on the pitch. They will want to make sure he has a great experience and will want to see him back playing for Dublin next year.
Mayo's unexpected early exit has seen Diarmuid O'Connor and Conor Loftus join McBride's club in Chicago, while Diarmuid Connolly is unquestionably the highest profile player to swap Ireland for America.
Some 12 hour scramble but delighted these guys from @MayoGAA have come to Chicago, huge boost for football here. @BallintubberCLG and @DeelRoversGAA thanks for letting them travel and we'll return them ready for championship https://t.co/aQjQYg5JU9
— McBrides CLG Chicago (@McBridesGaa) July 2, 2018
The St Vincent's man will watch his Dublin team-mates bid for four-in-a-row as he lines out for Donegal Boston, where he has been joined by club-mate Shane Carthy, Donegal pair Michael Carroll and Eoin McHugh as well as club All-Ireland winners with Corofin, Liam Silke and Dylan Wall, in the Donegal team.
Former Donegal footballer Kevin Cassidy spent four summers in America, two of which were with Donegal Boston, and believes that Connolly's best interests will be served by the club.
Diarmuid Connolly scored 0-02 in his first game for Donegal Boston
"These guys will be looking out for Diarmuid Connolly, the player, the man, not just what he does on the pitch," he told RTÉ Sport.
"They will want to make sure he has a great experience and will want to see him back playing for Dublin next year."
Anecdotal tales of financial riches vary from club to club and player to player. The five-time All-Ireland winner will undoubtedly be well looked after for his stint with the club, but clubs Stateside are no strangers to hard graft. Club fundraisers are essential, but it is the money ploughed in by businessmen, particularly in the ex-pat community, which drives everything forward.
Brendan Bugler moved to New York in 2014 just days after Clare's All-Ireland defence came to an end at the hands of Wexford and says John Kelly, the man behind the Galway club, was front and centre.
Brendan Bugler travelled to New York in 2014
"He is just a fanatic, and came to all our training sessions and games. He was the main man behind the whole club, but had a huge interest in the players."
But what is it that drives these men to dip into their pockets to attract talent to their club?
"That's what I was wondering when I first went," says Cassidy.
"It's completely surreal and hard to explain unless you actually sample it. Once you go over there, and you see the passion they have for their own club, it's the way they hold on to their identity."
To see the likes of Diarmuid Connolly and Mayo lads, that's what these guys pay money for. It gives them a real connection to home
Initial contact can come from either side of the water and the phone calls can begin in the early part of the year.
"We would be contacted by a lot of lads through our club Facebook page," says Ulster San Francisco treasurer Joe Duffy, who looks after the incoming players on an annual basis in San Francisco.
"Sometimes I will get contacted by someone who maybe played for us in the past and they have a friend who wants to come over
"At that point we will chat by phone and see if it is going to work."
Cassidy says that players are acutely aware of how the system operates.
"All county players will know this, from around April onwards, especially if you are in college or in the teaching profession, the clubs over there know you can go. Boys will ring you from different parts of the States just to suss you out."
Flights and accommodation are taken care of, and further finance depends on player profile and whether or not work will be sought.
Kevin Cassidy spent four summers in the United States
Cassidy insists that, from his experience, there is no ill-feeling among the players permanently based with the club with silverware the number one objective.
"They will gladly give up their place and are delighted to see people coming, it's the opposition can be resentful"
Immigration concerns are prevalent across the country, while different cities have their own issues.
San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but the network of contacts built up helps the summer arrivals settle in quickly.
"Fewer Irish people are moving here and staying here," Duffy says, though summer arrivals allow the club field a second adult team.
Jack Barry, Rory Grugan, Niall Morgan, Sean Armstrong, Dan Gordon, Stephen O'Neill and Kevin Hughes are just some of the players who have called San Francisco home for a summer, though one player who has made the move permanent is former Dublin footballer Paul Hudson.
Paul Hudson made a permanent move to San Francisco
He featured for the Dubs as recently as last year's O'Byrne Cup, but two college summers gave him a taste of life outside of Ireland and says the club have been supportive and proactive from day one.
"The club helped me find accommodation and I am currently working with a real estate law firm in the city," he says.
Aside from work opportunities and a great football structure, lifestyle balance is another reason for the decision to move
Bugler's time in New York saw opponents back home such as David Burke, Johnny Coen and Conor Cooney become team-mates.
For those consumed in the high-octane environment of inter-county panels, the release valve of America is another strong pull.
"When you are involved in a county set-up, you really are cut-off from doing a lot of things for an awful lot of the year," the 2013 All-Ireland winner with Clare explains. "If you have given it everything and your team has finished up, it's hard to turn that down."
Gaelic park in New York is the spiritual home of the GAA Stateside
While preparation and build-up can't match the intensity of home, the games themselves are highly competitive affairs.
The onus to perform is at times even greater than on Irish soil.
"I felt a lot of pressure because first of all the guys are good to you," Cassidy says.
"Say you hit a bad wide on a Sunday, you get a bit of sneering and jeering, and that would spur you on. You want to show them what you can do, especially to the guys who bring you over and look after you."
Big name players gather the headlines, but as far as Duffy is concerned, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Developing roots in the community is something that San Francisco Ulster is keen to strengthen.
"At the minute we just have not seen American born players coming through in our club, but we would welcome that if it happened.
"Some clubs over here do not really take summer players or if they do it is three or four lads."
Cassidy's experiences in America started as a young, single player, but by his final visit three years ago he arrived with a young family for the summer.
Michael Carroll won't miss any club championship matches
This year his Gaoth Dobhair team-mate and Donegal player Michael Carroll has jetted out to Boston, though his return in late August means he won't miss a single Championship match. It was the same for Cassidy in each of his four summers abroad.
Treasured memories and an experience he would recommend to anyone afforded the opportunity.
"I know people don't want to see players leaving, but there is a big world out there. I learned a hell of a lot about life over there. It's a different way of life."
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