David Brady still has the transfer forms from when he considered switching his inter-county allegiance from Mayo to his father's native Sligo.
In late 2002, John Maughan returned as Mayo manager. A falling out between Brady and Maughan followed.
"For me, from a football perspective, I was probably burnt out, fatigued, disillusioned," Brady says in his episode of Laochra Gael which airs on Thursday, April 2nd at 9:30pm on TG4.
I wanted to play rugby - rugby was always a grá for me. I went playing with Galwegians.
It caused a conflict between myself and John. I could see his point of view and my point of view. We kind of drifted, agreed to disagreed - disagreed a bit more.
Peter Ford had taken over as Sligo manager. I met Fordy and we discussed about me transferring to Sligo. I still have the transfer forms.
Brady, at the time in his late 20s, did not transfer to Sligo but instead spent a year travelling, including to Australia and the US.
"I played in three continents in one year," Brady says.
"I played with the best of people, the nicest of people - they were not inter-county. They were travelling the world having a good time.
"Your name is David, you're not a county footballer, you're not the hometown hero, you're not the local boy - you're yourself.
"Football... GAA is the greatest coming together of people. It's a unity, and I was closer to God in Australia, and I was closer to football.
"I came back from Australia in April 2004 to renew my visa and spent the rest of my life in the other side of the world."
However, after a conversation with Maughan, Brady decided he would remain in Ireland for Mayo's championship campaign.
"I still wanted, at the back of my mind, to win an All-Ireland," Brady says.
"I was going to stay as long as Mayo were in the championship. Then we got to an All-Ireland quarter-final against Tyrone who were reigning All-Ireland champions."
After a poor performance in a drawn semi-final against Fermanagh, Brady was dropped for the replay. He was also not picked for the final against Kerry.
"I continuously produced it for that championship. I was nearly stunned," he says about not being picked against Fermanagh.
"I wasn't the greatest footballer that ever played, and far from it; I wasn't decorated with personal accolades or awards cos I didn't deserve them.
"But I can tell you this much: Any time I put on a jersey, whether it was for Ballina Stephenites or for Mayo, number nine or 29, I gave myself to it and I gave it absolutely everything.
"I came on against Fermanagh and did what I was supposed to do. As it transpired, we get to the All-Ireland final and I don't get picked.
"The gamble was taken not to start me - you don't gamble with Mayo football in any way, shape or form because there's too much at stake."
Mayo were destroyed in that 2004 decider against the Kingdom. Brady entered the game as a first half substitute and thereafter, Mayo became more competitive but the effort was in vain.
"I do think it was wrong from John's point of view - I know it and John knows it," Brady says.
"He hurt a lot of people - supporters, my family - but that's on the grass, that's football. I don't, none of my family, we're not tossing and turning over that."
