Dermot Earley still feels he has something to offer to Kildare despite the fact he missed the entire championship season with a cruciate ligament injury.
The 33-year-old has been rebuilding his knee after two surgeries and is "hungry to get back playing" and "contribute" what he can to Kieran McGeeney's set-up.
"Being out for so long really makes you hungry to get back playing, so, if anything, it's given me an added appetite for playing," the Sarsfields clubman is quoted as saying in the Irish Independent.
"I always felt I wasn't ready to hang up my boots yet and seeing how well the team played again in the summer only underlined for me how much I want to contribute still, if I can at all.
"Of course, there's no guarantee yet of how well I'll get back, but I am working hard on my rehab and it's going well."
The two-time All Star revealed that seeing Henry Shefflin's spectacular comeback this summer influenced him hugely, adding: "When you see the likes of Henry making the sort of recovery that he did after a second cruciate, that is extremely heartening.
"Of course, Henry is an exceptional athlete and there's no guarantee that I will make as good a recovery as he has, but it has certainly spurred me on."