Having spent most of the year talking and writing about Mayo's famine, the GAA media turned their attention to a moral war over a feast over the winter.
Colm Cooper's testimonial dinner courted opinion and derision from myriad people associated with Gaelic football, but in spite of the wailing and wailing and gnashing of teeth, it went ahead.
Having been knocked out of the Munster championship with Crokes, Cooper has kept a relatively low profile since the festivities, but w did open up on it all in an interview with Radio Kerry's Terrace Talk.
When asked if he regretted going through it all, Cooper was unmoved.
Definitely not, I was privileged and honoured.
The idea was brought to me by a few people that I know, friends of mine. Look, it's done for rugby players, it has been done for different sports people, GAA is probably one of the biggest sports in the country - why shouldn't we celebrate our own stars?
Of course, anybody who breaks new ground in the GAA or does something new it's going to create huge debate. Look, I respect people's opinion who feel it might not be right.
The issue of professionalism in the game also arose during the course of Cooper's interview, which he knocked back by making referencing to his playing with Crokes, portraying the club as a bulwark against any potential professionalism creeping into the sport.
I don't see it going professional nor do I want to see it going professional because if Colm Cooper the gaelic footballer was a professional with Kerry GAA he certainly wouldn't be playing with Dr Crokes then.
If you look at the rugby model, there are not too many guys playing with Munster playing with their clubs as well, whether it's Cork Con or any of that.
I'm all for players being rewarded for what they do. I've friends in America and I tell them that we sell out stadiums for 80,000 people at whatever, €80 or €90 a pop for tickets. They can't understand that it's an amateur sport.
I'm all for players being rewarded more. Am I for it being professional? No, I'm not, but rewarded more, yes.
Listen to the full interview back with on Radio Kerry's website.
[Radio Kerry]
