Would former Munster man Alan Quinlan have entertained the prospect of playing for Leinster? Well, yes, if it had helped his chances of playing for Ireland.
Speaking on Monday's OTB AM, Quinlan considered the occasionally difficult decisions facing players who must sacrifice provincial loyalties for a possible reckoning in the international set-up.
"I think that it is very brave of the player," Quinlan commented amid rumours that Jack McGrath may become the latest Leinster man to make the move north to Ulster.
"You've got to take off the goggles and say, 'I want to play' - you have to change the mentality.
"Sean Cronin is from Limerick, Eoin Reddan is from Limerick, and did you ever see they shy away when they played Munster? Not in the slightest.
With Joey Carbery the most high-profile inter-provincial mover since Robbie Henshaw made the admittedly more typical move from Connacht to Leinster, Quinlan is expecting a greater occurrence of such changes for the benefit of the Ireland set-up.
"We will probably start to see it a lot more with the high profile national players moving around for the good of the national team," Quinlan stated.
"I understand the broader picture and I think it's difficult for 17,18, and 19 year old's to be pushed around at a young age.
"But you must be open to it for the good of the individual [too]."
Ahead of next weekend's fourth-round Six Nations tie with France, you can get a flavour of Alan Quinlan's pre-match thoughts here.
Written by Cameron Blair.
