Throwing his lot in with the Kildare footballers once more, Daniel Flynn spoke to Off the Ball about his reasons for walking away in the first place.
Misguided though it may seem come the opening round or two of the Leinster championship, Daniel Flynn will not be alone in hoping that the departure of Jim Gavin may, perhaps, loosen Dublin's stranglehold on their shared province.
In the running for a 10th consecutive Leinster championship win in 2020, five of Dublin's last nine wins have involved beating Kildare along the way.
Without provincial success in 20 years, the reintroduction of Daniel Flynn to Jack O'Connor's plans for the year ahead will be of immense value to the Kerryman.
Why he decided to leave in the first place remains somewhat clouded, however.
"At the end of 2018 I just wanted a break," he admitted on Thursday's OTB AM. "I was probably falling out of love with the game a small bit."
One of the country's outstanding talents, Flynn's departure came as a surprise to those who could only marvel at his form.
"That's what everyone says," he acknowledged of those who have spoken positively of him, "but it is complicated.
"How do I best describe it? In 2018 the games were going well, but it was more the stuff behind the scenes that were getting on my nerves and annoying me.
"I was starting to dread going to training and it was becoming a chore. As the year went on I began to think that I'd become a negative influence, maybe.
"I didn't want that to happen and I needed a break for myself."
Dismissing the notion that there was any fallout with other individuals involved in the Kildare set up, the demands on Flynn's time became too all-encompassing.
"Between college, trying to work part-time, trying to train and have time for yourself, family and friends," he recalled, "it was the right thing to do.
"As 2019 went on then I got back playing with the club and I started to enjoy it more and more and wanted to come back in."
You can listen to Daniel Flynn's interview in full here.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
