Football his only focus

As a player, the dedication and commitment that Mick O'Dwyer had for Kerry was always obvious. He will be remembered for his extremely high skill level and ability to win points from corner forward. That was seen not only at county level, but also in every game he played for Waterville. He was the driving force there for so long and created such awe that referees were even afraid to go against him.

My own enduring memories are of Mick O'Dwyer the manager. It was here that his real influence on Kerry football will probably be remembered. He always led by example and that included all the little things, like punctuality and the absence of smoking and drinking and the like. It was also his ability to keep himself in top physical shape as a manager that helped inspire the squad. That meant he would often run with us even in the hard sessions. The lads couldn't find excuses when he was doing the same stuff himself.

I think that when Mick took over the squad in 1975 he knew that the skill level was already high and so he decided to take it a step further. All the players were well able to catch and kick and even though they were naturally athletic, he really decided to make the team fitter and stronger than ever before. That meant training at a very high tempo.

A lot of the stuff we did was based on 100 to 400 metre runs, with short recovery intervals. With the competitive nature of the squad, these turned into very demanding sessions indeed. A lot of the time we ended up more exhausted in training than in any match.

Besides his strict training I think his other main strength as a manager was his diplomatic approach to the players in that he would never single out anybody for praise or criticism. It was always the group that was responsible for whatever happened.

His level-headed approach to every game was also a huge strength and I don't think I could imagine a more relaxed manager going to Croke Park on All-Ireland day. Things were always kept simple in that all the work was done and all we had to do really was go out and play.

His most memorable achievement was probably the '75 squad that he first took over. A lot of people were sceptical about how he would fare, but he really proved himself beyond what anyone imagined. The loss of the 1982 final was easily the biggest blow. It was an all-time low in Kerry, although he showed great resilience and desire to come back from that to bring the team to another three titles.

I know he will get a great kick out of taking this Kildare side to Croke Park on Sunday and he deserves tremendous credit for bringing such success to the county, especially at his age. He realised a few years ago that he had talented players there and even though it has taken them a few years to mature, he has taught them to believe in themselves. I believe it will give him as much satisfaction as any of the Kerry victories if things go his way on Sunday.

(In an interview with Ian O'Riordan)