From a psychological point of view, as you get older the willingness to keep growing and operating at a sustained high level in an amateur sport becomes intolerable.
The four provincial finals in Gaelic football this weekend will demonstrate the evolution of Gaelic football and how anarchy has given way to organised chaos.
Dublin are struggling for a collective purpose and the anchors that held Jim Gavin's side together no longer hold, but there is still one thing that could make them a force.
Mayo were portrayed as celebrities first and Gaelic footballers second in many quarters, it is a myth that doesn't stand up to the reality Paul Flynn experienced.
Dublin's transition needs to be accompanied by a reality check and an acceptance that their status has altered.
Gary Keegan has been involved in many of the most important developments in Irish sport. As a Dublin footballer, Paul Flynn worked with Keegan and in this conversation they discuss leadership, living in the present and Jim Gavin's endless curiosity.
Good managers deliver on the first impression rather than leaving it at empty words. That's what Jim Gavin did and it's how Tyrone's Brian Dooher and Fergal Logan operate too.
Kerry need to be willing to learn from their defeat to Tyrone and they need to be willing to learn the right lessons.
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