This afternoon, with the familiar waft of deep heat hanging in the air and a trace of sulphur too, his latest installment will be delivered.

And this one is bound to be a classic. For starters, it's an old foe that lies in wait but more than that, this is a watershed year in the continuing development of Laois football and victory today is crucial.

Not only does O'Dwyer need to deliver a second Leinster title before he departs from the midlands later this year, he must also ensure the summer lasts longer and ends sweeter than 2005.

Laois's last outing at Croke Park displayed a team that couldn't compete with one of the country's best sides but the opportunity to bridge the gap between championship outsiders and genuine contenders still exists.

It's unlikely if that ninepoint defeat at the hands of Armagh in last year's quarter-finals will be recalled today, but if anybody can turn a negative experience into a positive one, it's the Kerry man who celebrated his 70th birthday three weeks back.

Take the 2000 Leinster semi-final between Kildare and Offaly as an example.

O'Dwyer's Kildare brought a three-point lead into the closing stages of the game only for Offaly substitute Donie Ryan to clinch a draw with a late goal. For Kildare, it was devastation. Instead of marching back to a dressing room filled with joy and anticipation of a Leinster final, O'Dwyer was looking at players with heads buried deep into their hands. The scene was soundtracked with total silence and there was a funeral feeling about the place. O'Dwyer knew what to expect but he moved through the door and acted as though he couldn't sense the disappointment. Immediately he was on the offensive filling the air with talk that this was just what Kildare needed . . . an extra championship game in Croke Park.

Slowly, he was coaxing his men out of their funk and by the time the team reached the players lounge, the gloom had lifted. His positive words continued all week at training and where other managers may have dwelled on the fact that Kildare left the game behind, O'Dwyer moved in the opposite direction. When the replay arrived the following weekend, Kildare minds were focused and prepared and they walked off with a victory on their way to the Leinster championship.

"He's the greatest motivator you could find in sport", says match-analyst Gerry McDermott who has worked closely with O'Dwyer. "When he speaks before a game, you're in awe of the way he uses words and not once will he use foul language, which is amazing really. His teamtalks don't last long but they have meaning and they're so precise. I remember listening to his speeches and thinking 'I wouldn't mind togging off myself.'" While O'Dwyer isn't prone to using explosive salvos of words, the manner in which he can pull people into his circle remains phenomenal.

During one Kildare game, O'Dwyer and his team felt the referee wasn't giving them a fair rub. Half-time arrived and he stressed upon his players the need to treat all refereeing decisions with respect. With O'Dwyer heading towards the dugout for the second half, the referee came striding past. Everybody in the manager's company expected a little bit of hell to break loose but O'Dwyer told the referee softly and with an honest look that he was indeed the greatest ref in Ireland and was once again doing a fine job.

"Of course, the referee went away with his tail wagging", continues McDermott, who was match-analyst for Kildare at the time. "Just after the game was restarted Kildare got a free-kick that should have definitely gone the other way and we scored from it. We ended up winning by a single point and afterwards Micko gives me a nudge and says 'Ah, Gerry, you see, it pays to compliment the referee.'" It was another stroke in an endless series and perhaps the latest came this winter.

O'Dwyer's vision of the game as played on the field has never be called into question but certain aspects of his team's preparation have.

Last autumn, with defeat by Armagh still lingering, Laois players met to discuss how a repeat capitulation could be avoided. Issues were raised and these were later put to O'Dwyer with the understanding that the players were in no way attempting to undermine his methods.

They were merely looking for a more professional outlook to the team's training techniques.

John Doran had departed as trainer so it was an opportune time for an overall assessment of where Laois were going. Players believed they had the ability to become a real force and O'Dwyer agreed.

He took the suggestions on board an acted on many of them. Before winter training had begun, O'Dwyer installed Gerry Loftus as team trainer and it is thought that Loftus' contribution could be an important piece of the Laois jigsaw. The trainer's approach is dynamic and modern and during his first session players were astounded to learn that he was 51 years old. Loftus has the appearance of a man 15 years his junior and if his training style could cheat the inevitability of age, then perhaps Laois were onto something.

Throughout the league, Loftus kept a steady pace at training and one of the noticeable aspects of Laois was a high level of fitness.

"It's about getting the mind and body prepared together, " says Loftus. "This year Micko has opened up an awful lot. He delegated a job to me and that was to get the team fit. My own training style is very progressive but whatever the players would have gained is down to what they put in themselves."

If the installment of Loftus as team trainer has pleased the players, then it's also displayed a willingness by O'Dwyer to take on board some recent advances in training techniques. The first time Loftus and O'Dwyer crossed paths was in the summer of 1983. Loftus had made his name as one of the Ireland's greatest Superstars competitors and was on a tour of the country breaking world records for gym tests along the way. He was in Ballincollig for another world record attempt and The Guinness Book of Records had appointed O'Dwyer as the official referee. Sure enough, O'Dwyer looked on and Loftus smashed another record that day.

Since then, Loftus has gone on to study a wide range of training methods, including martial arts and Tai Chi and he recently spent three years with the Meath footballers. "I learned a lot from my time with Sean Boylan, " he says.

Any differences between Loftus's approach and that of O'Dwyer in terms of training and preparation, Loftus attributes to changes in society and necessary advances in sport.

"If you look at Ireland 20 or 25 years ago, there was far more physical work, more walking and running, more cycling, " says Loftus. "Now people are using gyms to get that physical strength. Muscles aren't as strong as what they were 20 or 30 years ago and in this era you need a specialist to bring players along." On top of Loftus, O'Dwyer recently introduced a sports psychologist and recruited Eoin Liston and Jimmy Deenihan as part of the overall Laois package.

For a team like Laois, a few background changes and a little tweak here and there is all it may take to climb the next step.

O'Dwyer will hope the alterations have been in all the right places. By evening time, he will have a fair idea.