Micko would want Laois to win before he would have wanted Kerry to win
Laois players pay tribute to the late Mick O'Dwyer
Glowing tributes have been paid to Mick O'Dwyer to some of the Laois players privileged to play under the Kerry man who was arguably the best ever Gaelic football coach.
Mick O'Dwyer arrived on the Laois GAA landscape to great fanfare in 2002 after glory years with Kerry and two successful spells in neighbouring Kildare.
The buzz created among Laios sports fans also extended to the county's Gaelic footballers who were immediately energised by the arrival of the Waterville man in the Midlands.
Goalkeeper Fergal Byron was one of the established players in the group Micko took over at a low ebb after a torrid end to the 2002 championship.
"We were beaten by Meath in Portlaoise and it was a bit of an annihilation. I was even questioning myself staying on board but we heard rumours that Micko was coming on board. Once his name was mentioned there was no way I was leaving," he said.
The Courtwood GAA goalkeeper told the Leinster Express / Laois Live that Micko realised that there was talent in Laois.
"He saw that Laois had enjoyed success at underage level in the previous few years and those lads were maturing and he realised it was a good time to get involved," he said.
Fergal said players appreciated how Micko coached individuals as well as the team and that he wanted them to play.
"He was very much a man manager. He liked footballers to express themselves. For him, it was always about getting players to believe in themselves. He was getting 30% more out of players because of the belief he was instilling in themselves.
"He would put his arm about the payer who was number 30 on the panel as much as one of the main panellists. There is a lot to be said for keeping 30 lads satisfied particularly when you are successful and everyone wants to play," he said.
"He had a great presence in a dressing room and could always get his point across because he was genuinely passionate. Sometimes there might be managers who are not from the county they are coaching and you would wonder if they have they same passion for your county as you have. What was clearly evident about Micko from the start in Laois was that he was passionate about what he was doing in Laois.
"It wouldn't matter to him if we had played Kerry in an All-Ireland Final, he would want Laois to win before he would have wanted Kerry to win. He was invested in Laois," he said.
The Courtwood man, who retired as Laios keeper in 2007, believed Micko's other key attribute was his competitiveness.
"You just needed to be in his presence to see it. Competitiveness oozed out of every vein in his body," he said.
"He was able to manage the circus. Micko embraced it and used it to his advantage," he said.
Byron, who won an All-Star, also commented on O'Dwyer's connection with people around Laois outside of football. Unlike many county managers, the Kerry man made Portlaoise his home away from home as he had a house in Kilminchy.
"Micko was all about community and getting everybody on board. After training Micko was very popular and would be there to the last man to leave signing autographs. He would be the type to walk away," he said.
Arles Kilcruise man Chris Conway was another lynchpin in the Micko years with Laois. He extended his condolences to Micko's family and many friends in the GAA.
Chris described Micko as a "special man" who was a "wonderful manager and player" in all the counties he was involved with.
Conway said there was a very good group of players in Laois when Micko took over and all willingly "answered the call" when the Kerry man signed up in 2002. He said Micko's reign was peppered with success and near misses.
"We had great days and maybe should have had some more but he had us playing at the height of our game. We were supremely fit," he said.
IN PICTURES: Micko in PICTURES
He recalls the training sessions that Micko said were partly inspired by one of the great Manchester Utd managers.
"He was known for legendary hard training and it certainly was the case. He spoke of going to see Matt Busby training and seeing how hard soccer players trained in pre-season. But once the Gaelic football season started it was all about the ball," said Chris.
He recalled Micko changing training tactics in his final year after a loss to Dublin in 2006. Chris says Micko put the Laois players through some tough sessions ahead of their next game that year agains then All-Ireland champions Tyrone.
It paid off as Laois beat Tyrone in Portlaoise before an agonisingly close loss to Mayo in an All-Ireland quarter-final. While Chris recalls the 2003 Leinster Final victory as historic, he remembers other days like the loss to Mayo as one of a number of nearly days.
"He was a great manager but when harsh realities had to be told he had no problem doing so...when you'd come back to training after maybe putting on a few pounds his turn of phrase was 'you've gone a bit strong'. Other times he might look for his 'little fatties'. It mightn't be very PC in the current climate but he always did it with a smile," he said.
Laois was flush with young talent when Micko arrived and the Kerry man didn't hesitate in playing them. Chris identifies this as another O'Dwyer strength.
"A hallmark of his game was giving youth a chance. In his first year with Laois he sprung a young Ross Munnelly," he said.
Like Fergal Byron, Chris believes the new rules in Gaelic football would have impressed Micko.
"It would have brought a great smile to his face. The forward-thinking attacking play with pace, rather than the defensive play we have had to endure and look at for the last number of years, was his style of football," he said.
Chris concluded by recalling how appropriate 'Blessed and obsessed' was as a title for Micko's autobiography.
"I wish him the light of heaven", said Conway.