Buried a bit inside Donnchadh Boyle's fascinating interview with Dublin GAA chief executive John Costello is the following rather eye-catching quote about the recruitment of non-Dublin players by Dublin clubs like Parnells.
While Parnells and their foreign legion is the subject of great and hilarious off-the-record banter, it is very rare to see a high-ranking GAA bureaucrat openly discussing transfers that might be compromising the 'ethos of the game'. Any reader with an interest in the GAA will read between the lines and assume that Costello is referring a compromise of the GAA's amateur ethos via payment to players. Now as an upstanding sports publication, we'll remind readers that there are all kinds of ways to compromise the GAA's 'ethos' - celebrating goals, wearing skinny-legged jeans, skipping Mass, the list goes on and on - and we would never lead readers imaginations down such speculative boreens. However, we nod in intrigue at these statements by Mr. Costello.
