Before he talks football, Tomás Ó Sé wants to pay tribute to the late Liam Kearns, his fellow Kerryman who died on Sunday, aged 61.
"Just before he took the Offaly job, Liam rang me and we had a good oul chat," Ó Sé, a former Offaly coach and provincial player under Kearns, told RTÉ Sport.
"He was a fierce football man.
"I played Railway Cup football for Munster under him and he was an absolute gentleman.
"I didn't know him very well but knew him well enough to be able to pick up the phone to him.
"From a football point of view, when he went to some so-called weaker counties, he always brought them to another level and that always struck me.
"Here was this football man with great coaching prowess and an ability to get the maximum every drop out of every fella. He had a huge love for the game.
"But from talking to lads for the past two days I was able to see the human side to Liam too and that’s just a huge loss. By that, I mean the way former players across all levels spoke of him. How well he treated them and how he looked out for them and how he backed them.
"It’s just terrible when someone goes so unexpectedly. For his family it must be terrible and all my thoughts are with them.
"I think it’s a huge loss to the GAA and at Saturday’s game between Offaly and Tipp I would hope that as many people as possible attend to come out and pay their respects to Liam."
Last August, shortly after Kearns took the Offaly reigns, Ó Sé brought his own career into a new phase by taking the job of Kerry under-20 football manager.
"It’s demanding, as you want it to be," Ó Sé said, at the launch of the 2023 Eirgrid under-20 football championship.
"You are dealing with young fellas and the lads we have are fully committed but they are based in Limerick, Dublin, Cork and elsewhere and we are trying to get them training when they have college exams and leaving cert exams.
"That has been a learning curve for me and it is the exact same for managers all over the country.
"It’s a tricky age and they have so much going on. I hate to be complaining because managers are all in the same boat but access to the players is key for us.
"I played under-21 (for three years) and it was a great stepping stone; the biggest to senior football that’s there.
"It’s just the timing of it these days. For a start there is an overlapping of colleges football."
"There are too many competitions in the GAA and I think they really have to prioritise the biggest ones"
Ó Sé believes that the U20 competition could do with being moved to a more significant juncture of the season, rather than its current slot from the end of March to mid May.
"I don’t want to say the GAA aren’t showing respect to it, and I know the calendar is jammed, but God almighty lads are doing Leaving Cert and college exams and there is an under-20 championship smack bang in the middle of that.
"And then in Munster and Ulster it’s straight knock out while in Leinster it’s round robin and they should look at that too," he stresses.
"But the thing I am most adamant about is that there are too many competitions in the GAA and I think they really have to prioritise the biggest ones.
"And to me this is a serious competition.
"So many other competitions have a backdoor but there is no second chance here for us – and many other managers are facing the same prospect.
"But again, it’s the timing of when it’s on. It’s overlapping with colleges, senior football and exams."
The fixture calendar is an ongoing dilemma for the GAA as they try to give the new split season room to breathe. Counties voted for the retention of pre-season competitions and schools and third-level competitions also all have to get their space - before the club season takes over.
For his part, Ó Sé has assembled a fine backroom team as he tries to develop his young players and also hunt for silverware, starting with a Munster quarter-final against Clare on 10 April.
Maurice Horan is a proven, highly-respected coach, Seamus Moynihan an icon of Kerry and former Munster GAA chairman Sean Walsh is also in the set-up to offer his expertise and experience. Bryan Sheehan is an astute student of the game and comes with massive playing experience.
"I am happy enough with the crew we have, there is a good blend," Ó Sé says.
"The dynamic is such a way that all the fellas get on with each other. They wouldn’t be afraid to question what’s going on or give their opinion.
"They are all hands on and it has to be that way these days. It also has to be structured and organised."
He feels that this year’s senior championship is wide open.
"Connacht is looking good. Mayo and Galway should be there at the end of the year and Roscommon are looking good too.
"Dublin have come back into the pack but they are nowhere near gone.
"Kerry will get full squad time after the national league and they will benefit from that. Cork are coming too.
"Derry, Tyrone and Armagh could all make it to the latter stages too.
"No-one is standing head and shoulders above any other and I think we have six or seven humdingers to look forward to this year and that is great."
