Micko will quit Laois job at end of season

MICK O’DWYER will walk away from the Laois manager’s job at the end of the championship, whenever, or however, that ends for the Midlanders.

The Waterville maestro admitted: “I made a decision it’s going to be my last year. No doubt about it.’’

Typically, he refused to say that it would mark the end of a management career which stretches over three decades.

O’Dwyer, who will be 70 in June, will forever be remembered as the man who masterminded Kerry’s remarkable run of eight All-Ireland victories between 1975 and 1986.

And, in terms or resurrecting the fortunes of Kildare first and then Laois, he enhanced the notoriety he first gained as a Kerry footballer.

He had two spells with Kildare, helping them to regain the Leinster title in 1998 (seven years after he first joined them) and taking them to the All-Ireland final where they lost narrowly to Galway.

And, as he had indicated in advance, he ended his involvement with the Lilywhites after the defeat to Kerry in the fourth round of the 2002 All-Ireland qualifier competition.

That occasion was also noteworthy for the fact that his son John was a selector with Kingdom boss Páidí Ó Sé.

Within a matter of months he had agreed to get involved with Laois and, remarkably, led them to their first Leinster title in 57 years admitting that “it would have to stand with anything I have ever done in my life.”

Involved at inter-county level as player and manager for 51 years, O’Dwyer’s zest for the game remains undiminished.

“I get a marvellous buzz out of it,’’ he said, after Sunday’s match against Meath in Navan, which his team lost by a point after kicking 21 wides.

Pointing out that all of their 13 scores had come from play, he complained about the referee not being kind to them. “It was scandalous that we missed score after score,’’ he commented. “But, not getting a free from inside 40 yards for the entire game........well that beats Banagher.

“We will just have to work on our finishing. If we can improve our shooting, we would be good enough for any team in the country. But, all our training has been all physical up to now. We have played very little football. You could see the signs of that on Sunday.’’

And how he would like to go out on a high, after last year’s disappointing capitulation to Joe Kernan’s Armagh.

“Armagh were way ahead of us last year. There was one stage where we were totally dominant for about 25 minutes and we could have been six or seven points up. Then, they got a goal just before half-time and we lost our way.

“If you don’t take your chances in tight games, especially in the championship, you are not going to be in it. I’m hoping we can do better this year.’’