Niall McCague NervePresentation College, Bray, Co Wicklow

A stiff breeze blows defiantly around the fringes of the pitch. It is cold, but when Mick O'Dwyer arrives he fills the scene with his warm, complex personality.

The man who used his magic to guide Kerry to an emphatic 10 All-Ireland finals has arrived on the shores of our county. These are days to cherish, because they don't come around too often. Not in Wicklow.

The week after he was unveiled as Hugh Kenny's replacement, more than 121 players arrived in Aughrim for the first meeting with the maestro. You could see the apprehension in the eyes of the players that day. They were determined for their county to be in the spotlight again. No more slender defeats or heavy hammerings. Just to have the rare taste of triumph back in their mouths.

On that occasion Micko spoke of the requirements for inter-county level and finished off by emphasising that it would be a tough year, physically and mentally. No bar of expectation has been raised yet, though. The mentors are trying to develop a championship team rather than a team of individual champions.

For O'Dwyer, the war began on October 9th and has continued ever since. The press conference in the luxurious Four Seasons hotel triggered scenes of euphoria, and blissful fans turned up to greet the arrival of the Kerry ace. Micko has since drawn buckets of media attention and is milking the limelight in one of the greatest sporting fairy tales to have come out of Wicklow.

What we don't appreciate is that a great deal of hard work goes into 70 minutes of football. There were days in the not-too-distant past when the snug chair and the temperate fire became so diverting that turning up for training would be the last thing on a player's mind. Now, with Micko on board, the boys are bursting their berries to be part of this unique set-up. It's as if he's changed the mindset of the players.

Wicklow is a work in progress. In recent years we have been playing our football in the shadows. Micko has questioned the team's passion for the jersey. In hail, rain or snow they are out under the pale lights of Laragh, training for that one sunny afternoon in May.

'The best of an impressive crop of sports writers this year. McCague is a spirited writer who gets intimate with his subject and then speaks his mind. An engaging read even for the uninitiated.'