Limerick's Newcastle West advanced to an unlikely first Munster club final since 1987 last weekend after a five point victory against Clonmel Commercials.
The team features established names on the county side such as Ian Corbett and Cian Sheehan and young talent in the likes of Emmet Rigter who played a crucial part in Sunday's victory.
But leading the line is 37-year-old former county star Mike McMahon.
McMahon continues to play a pivotal role in his side's success aided by his unconventional strength and conditioning work done alongside five-time Irish Strongman champion and Newcastle West native Pa O'Dwyer.
The pair have been working alongside each other for sometime now and the partnership has come to fruition. The draining Strongman training that McMahon has done has been a massive benefit according to O'Dwyer who believes GAA S&C coaches around the country are missing a trick.
"I'll be honest with you in my opinion most of the S&C coaches haven't a clue," he tells Balls.ie.
"That goes for 95% of them.
"I've seen them in gyms training GAA lads.
"They haven't a f*cking clue what they're doing.
"They should educate themselves with the likes of myself because I know how to make an athlete stronger, more powerful and faster."
O'Dwyer feels his type of training which combines plyometrics and heavy strength work could be transformational on GAA players.
"If I got my hands on a midfielder for argument's sake, who was only about 10 or 12 stone, with the type of training that I do, I would turn him into an animal.
"If he spent six months with me, he'd be ten times stronger."
Newcastle West player McMahon got put through his paces during lockdown
During lockdown one of the training sessions that McMahon and O'Dwyer did together consisted of pulling a fourteen tonne tractor for twenty metres.
McMahon told the Irish Independent that the session was akin to "pull like a dog until you collapse."
"We just harnessed a rope onto the back of a Jeep and pulled the tractor," O'Dwyer explains.
"We were doing a stretch twenty metres and I was doing it in twenty seconds.
"Mike would obviously be a lot lighter and he wouldn't be used to the training so I think it took him about a minute to finish it.
"He wasn't giving up, he kept going.
"He fell a couple times but he got back up and kept pulling, he's fierce determined."
1 August 2009; Mike McMahon, Limerick. GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Qualifier, Round 4, Meath v Limerick, O'Moore, Park, Portlaoise, Co. Laois. Picture credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE
While McMahon expressed doubt that the "alternative" training style would work for everyone O'Dwyer disagrees.
"Mike spent a couple of months training with me and he really developed his power and speed.
"When he brought that back onto the pitch he was faster and stronger.
"He was able to jump a lot higher because obviously I do a lot of jumps.
"When you see him in a match, you'll see the height he can jump," he adds.
"It's in the paper that it worked for him but this type of training that I do would work for anyone because it's so f*cking hard."
A native of Newcastle West also, O'Dwyer has known McMahon for years. He believes that his friend still has many more years left in the game and continue to contribute massively for his team.
"As long as he continues to train with me Mike will still be playing football and has the capability of being Man of the Match at a county final in his mid-40s, I'd say 45," he says without hesitation.
"One thing that I don't like about soccer and football is that they (players) hit a certain age and it's time to hang up the boots.
"I hate that f*cking nonsense and that's all it is, nonsense.
"Just because they have a bad day or a bad week of training they think 'ah it's my time now'.
"They should realise that they are just hitting a plateau and they need to change their training.
"That's exactly what Mike did and he's probably the best footballer he's ever been right now at this minute and he's 37 years of age.
"Typically and traditionally he should have hung up the boots five years ago."
O'Dwyer is now back into training ahead of World's Strongest Man next April in South Carolina and missed last weekend's game as he was attending an event in the UK.
He will however be in attendance when Newcastle West take on Kerins O’Rahilly’s of Kerry in the provincial decider next month.
It will be a low-key Christmas for the six foot two, 23 stone beast from Limerick who has his eyes set on making history next year.
I really want to get on the map," he reveals.
"An Irishman has never made the top ten final at World's Strongest Man and that's my ambition.
"I won't be celebrating, I won't be drinking, I'll be keeping on my diet even on Christmas Day but obviously I'll allow myself the Christmas dinner.
"As any parties or social events, I won't be there at all."
O'Dwyer, like McMahon, is clearly obsessive when it comes to his training. Both men are determined to achieve their goals.
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