Alan Dillon has decided to call time on his inter-county career and move into a sphere which has yielded considerably more national success for Mayo: politics.
It had been rumoured that Dillon would be going into politics following the conclusion of his inter-county career, and speaking on Newstalk's Off The Ball today, Dillon confirmed his intention to run for the Dáil.
There are opportunities in this part of my life, and a large part of my family were in the political arena. So that was something I might move into, and I've made no secret of that to the members of Fine Gael.
So I am running, at the next selection convention, which is at the end of March.
I've seen the likes of Enda Kenny and the work he has done throughout Mayo. I've experience of Castlebar and the business community, and I've been to plenty of schools and feel that the youth and the rest of the people of Mayo need strong representation.
I feel I can provide that, and I've shown on the football field my commitment to Mayo, and it has given me a resilience and a passion for the people of Mayo.
Fine Gael "runs deep in my roots" says Dillon: his aunt Kathleen Cody worked closely with Enda Kenny, while his uncle Ollie is a former chairman of one of the county's Fine Gael branches.
That said, he faces a bit of a scrap to get a seat which was once the preserve of a single family.
It's the next chapter, and it's an opportunity. It takes courage and bravery to put yourself out there, I'm well aware of that. But I've a deep resilience and determination to succeed at this.
My job now is to get to the start line, as it's going to be a very competitive selection convention. This seat in Castlebar hasn't been available since 1954, as it was held by Enda's father: Henry Snr had it until 1975; Enda from then until now.
It's quite a scene to imagine: Dillon as Mayo's latest Taoiseach, becoming the first leader since 1951 to hand Sam Maguire over to a Mayo player in the Hogan Stand.
You can choose which is the less likely scenario.
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