Offsetting potential gratification gained against effort exerted is becoming an increasingly important consideration for inter-county GAA players.
Is it feasible or sensible to put so much of one's life on hold for the pursuit of sporting ambition?
Although it is inaccurate to suggest that such effort is ultimately in vain if no provincial or All-Ireland title is forthcoming, with so few of those playing in inter-county football and hurling ever getting even a glimpse of what the Championship can offer, thoughts regarding 'what is this all for?' seem increasingly inevitable as the preparatory steps to even mediocrity continue to rise.
For Meath's Paddy O'Rourke, the decision to reclaim some semblance of normality has won out.
Speaking to AIB, O'Rourke determined that the hopelessness of Meath's chances for success going forward informed his decision to forego the months of training and committment that would nonetheless necessitate his first-hand role in a doomed pursuit:
The idea that I had to walk away from inter-county football was nagging at the back of my head in the months before we lost to Donegal last summer.
If we're honest in Meath, we're not getting any closer to where we want to go.
Winning Leinster again or challenging for an All-Ireland doesn't look realistic any time soon, and in fact it feels like it is farther away than ever.
Undoubtedly, the Meath goalkeeper will be criticised for his willingness to walk-away. Yet, with the demands rising, and progress reducing, O'Rourke struggles to see the point in remaining.
Having played in an All-Ireland semi-final in 2009, and lifting the Leinster title in 2010, the 28-year-old has seen nothing since that would encourage him to continue:
From 2011 to now, the commitment levels have gone through the roof but we've had nothing to show for it.
Our seasons have been over by early to mid-July. Last year we lost to Kildare, which suggests we've been slipping in the province, while Dublin are well out in front, and then this new Super 8 won't help any team outside the elite.
Despite his long run with the Meath team however, the Skryne club-man is incredibly pleased with his premature decision to depart, citing "the huge upside of not being tied down to the Meath schedule for at least five days per week."
No longer waking up "thinking about what I need to get through the next 16 or 17 hours", the conclusion that "this is not worth it" any longer was a brave decision in reality. As the now former Meath 'keeper testifies, "your head would be melted" with the work that goes into it.
Whether or not O'Rourke's decision will become more common among other inter-county players of his status is unclear, but a precedent has certainly been set.
It is not inconceivable that, like O'Rourke, a number of footballers and hurlers may similarly consider that "losing so much of your life" to inter-county teams is scarcely worth a few Championship games a summer and no glory.
