Moynihan did. Mayo's three (once) certain All Stars . . .

Ronan McGarrity, Conor Mortimer and Alan Dillon . . .

between them, were on the ball 25 times. Moynihan was on it 29 times. Few top players go out on top, even fewer at the height of their game, but not even that was beyond him.

Moynihan secured more than a sweet farewell last Sunday. By winning their fourth All Ireland title last Sunday, he and Darragh O Se and Mike Frank Russell passed out Martin O'Connell and Colm Coyle in the roll of All Ireland medals in the post-Golden Years era.

It was only fitting, because by any other county's standards, that trio would be labelled immortals. Now, even by Kerry's, they are.

Truth be told, though, Moynihan held that distinction in the county since 2000.

That year the county picked two teams of the century, one from 1901 to 1949, and the other from '50 to 2000. Nominated at wing back were Sean Murphy, wing back on the nation's team of the millennium, and Mick O'Dwyer, probably the greatest all-round player the county produced, and Moynihan. The public voted for Moynihan.

He was a man for all seasons but abiding memories for this writer will be how he stood out as a beacon in wet, dreary Sigerson Cup finals and Kerry county finals. Even in 2004, when Kerry won the All Ireland with Moynihan on the bench for most of the game and that summer, it was he who propelled that drive in the first place, with Man of the Match displays in a stunning league campaign.

"One of the top five, " Radio Kerry's Weeshie Fogarty said yesterday, upon hearing Moynihan's decision to retire at 32. Weeshie has seen a lot of Kerry footballers. And all over the country, down through the years, we've seen quite a few.

But we'll say the same as Weeshie. Moynihan, one of the greats of this or any era. One of the top five.