Macroom's Colman Corrigan is happy with the impact made by new boss Kerry's Aidan O'Mahony

THOSE in attendance at the Castle Grounds in Macroom on Sunday morning for the McCarthy Insurance Football League Division 3 clash with Kanturk saw the dawn of a new era for Macroom GAA commence.

Former Kerry defender Aidan O’Mahony is at the helm as manager of the Macroom Premier Intermediate Football team for 2024.

One of the members of O’Mahony’s management team is Colman Corrigan, All-Ireland SFC winner with Cork in 1990 and without question one of greatest players ever from Macroom.

Speaking to The Echo, Corrigan describes the impact the five time Kerry All Ireland winner O’Mahony has had on Macroom in the early weeks of his tenure.

“I’m simply blown away with the actual impact that the new setup have made. 

"Last Tuesday night we had a game between each other and we had 50 players down below in the Castle Grounds, which is unprecedented really.

“We have had upwards of 60 actually training in the gym, doing the weight sessions and stuff like that.

“The impact Aidan has brought is that it is a totally new setup. 

"It is a new voice but also a new type of training, something I wasn’t used to certainly. 

"But I am embracing it. It is so far so good.” 

Macroom later in the summer will face into a Cork PIFC group against Rockchapel, Castletownbere and Kilshannig.

Before that though the McCarthy Insurance Football League should provide good tests for this Macroom side.

As to what Macroom aim to get from the County League campaign, Corrigan outlined:

“We are going to use the league basically to have a look at players in different positions, have a look at other players who we haven’t seen before and have a look at players that have actually come back into the fold. 

"Basically we are going to use the league as a learning curve.

“I think the most important thing here is to set the standards going forward into the future. 

"If you are a young lad growing up and you see your top team and the way that they train and the way that they play, well you have an ambition to be part of that in a couple of years time. To set the standards and basically that is what it is all about.

“Macroom have had a very proud tradition at both Senior and Intermediate. 

"Unfortunately over the last couple of years, due to older players moving on and stuff like that, we have had a bit of a difficult time.

“The club decided at the start of the year to go in a slightly different direction. 

"As everybody knows his record in the Kerry jersey. But also Aidan has got into the training side of things over the last couple of years.

“It was felt by the club and rightly so that the younger generation that are coming up demanded the best.”