Cork's Mark Keane has definitively left the AFL behind him and is determined to be remembered as more than a modern-day Tadhg Murphy.
After three years as a professional in Australia, the 21-year-old told his club Collingwood over winter that the pull of Cork hurling and football was too strong and that his Aussie Rules career was over.
While the wider public here knows him best for the sensational last-second goal which dumped Kerry out of the 2020 senior football championship, it is hurling that Keane is prioritising for the year ahead.
This weekend, his club Ballygiblin contest the All-Ireland junior club hurling final against Kilkenny's Mooncoin.
Keane was an imposing presence at centre-back as the north Cork outfit dispatched Tipp border rivals Skeheenarinky in the Munster junior final last month.
Keane had already decided, for the first time in four years, that he didn't feel right heading back to the Aussie Rules scene ahead of pre-season.
"It's always a tough decision when you're leaving the AFL," Keane told RTÉ Sport.
"I just had to ring the head coach and general manager and had a few conversations with them and they were very supportive of it as well, looked after me very well with my transition back to home.
"I suppose I always wanted to come home and play for Cork in either hurling or football. I just felt like it was the right time to come home. I went back over for five or six weeks for a pre-season.
"When I came home I just wasn't ready to go back. Just in my own head, I've always went back without a bother, but this time just felt it wasn't the same and wasn't ready to go back and commit to it."
Keane says that casting backward glances at the old sod is not conducive to making it in the Australian code. Completely committing to Aussie Rules is imperative when carving out a pro career, Keane recalling Nathan Buckley's words - "You must give what you get."
And, though he tried, Keane eventually found he couldn't shake the GAA from his mind.
"When I was over there (in Australia) I was always invested in it, whenever I was training, I trained to the best of my ability and stuff like that, but in the back of my mind GAA was always there.
"I've tried loads of time to ignore the GAA back here at home, but unfortunately I couldn't get it out of my head."
"You must put in all the work to get what you want. It's kind of up to yourself really. There's a lot of fellas still out there enjoying it, happy out, and I wish them the best of luck and hopefully they strive out there still."
Did his now legendary cameo in the behind-closed-doors winter championship of 2020 whet his appetite for inter-county action, reminding him again what was he missing by staying down under?
"Yeah, it was definitely a key moment. It's always good when you're knocking Kerry out of championship - you can't beat them enough.
"I was just glad that we got to the Munster final, but we didn't finish it off when we should have. I don't want to be remembered just for that.
"I want to be remembered for other things: Playing with Cork hurling this year, aiding and helping Ballygiblin to get to an All-Ireland final, being around Mitchelstown in county finals, playing in the AFL as well."
A dual star in the classic Cork mould, Keane had to weigh up whether hurling or football was going to take precedence in 2022. Though he says football was originally his "love", he ultimately felt it was time to give hurling a shot.
Keane has already been drafted into Kieran Kingston's senior panel as they build towards the 2022 campaign.
"I've a Munster medal and All-Ireland medal in hurling from U15 and U16 under John Meyler. I played hurling all the way up as well.
"Football was always kind of my love. I played minor and U20 at football level, would've played both if I could have.
"I just thought it was the right time to give hurling a go. It's a dream for everyone really to play both codes, play Cork hurling and football. Since I've done the football, I just wanted to give hurling a go. I just feel like it's the right time.
"Even the training sessions are a great buzz, going up and meeting all the lads. They're really determined to win an All-Ireland. We've had a few games with them, and I've been in with them."
Keane and Ballygiblin descend of Croke Park for an All-Ireland title decider this weekend, the small club having collected only their first Cork junior A title late last year.
"It's unbelievable in fairness, it's only a small country club outside of Mitchelstown," remarks Keane.
"It goes from the top down. I couldn't speak highly of Brian Molan and Liam Doc (O'Doherty), our chairman and secretary, they've been unreal. They're just great characters and you just want to play and win for them any day of the week.
"I've been there all year with them, I've only missed one game which was the Munster semi-final. I've been with them all year from the first championship game against Killavullen, only missed the Munster semi-final and glad now I'm there with them to go with them to the All-Ireland final. I suppose I'd never forget it if I missed it."
As for the Australian experience, Keane is grateful to the coaches and teammates in Collingwood who helped him along the way
Derry's Conor Glass, another who'd abandoned an AFL career to return home, remarked in November that Irish players in Australian Rules were subject to greater abuse, as outsiders within the game.
Keane's experience backs up the claim, though he stresses that any comments wouldn't have cut him too deeply.
"You would have got, 'Go and learn the rules' or 'Go back to Ireland,'" Keane says. "I didn't really take it to heart much. Us Irish boys would have dished it out just as much back to them.
"It actually would have been from players that you're playing against. It would have been from fans as well.
"In the games, they would have said, 'Go learn the rules' or that I don't know how to play the game. I suppose all us Irish boys get that kind of stick.
"I would have just laugh at it really. The Collingwood players would have stood up for me. They would have had a few words with the players. The Collingwood boys would have been super. I didn't take it too much to heart, I would have just laughed at it.
"Us Irish boys are going over taking an Australian person's spot. You just have to laugh at them really."
Mark Keane (Ballygiblin, Cork), spoke ahead of one of #TheToughest showdowns of the year, which sees Ballygiblin face off against Mooncoin of Kilkenny in the AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Junior Club Championship Final this Saturday, 5 February
