James McMahon was an ever-present and steady presence in the Fermanagh defence before the travelling bug caught hold and he up sticks and headed for the land Down Under.

But he always had an eye on his home county and he never saw his Australian adventure as the end of his inter-county career.

It was a hiatus. A break and a chance to take in another culture and recharge the batteries.

On Sunday afternoon, in Brewster Park, McMahon made his first start of 2024 for Fermanagh after returning to the fold.

It was a solid return for the Roslea man who also managed to kick a brilliant point in the first half (there was nothing to be said of the earlier wide!)

"It's good to be back into it," McMahon said.

"Whenever I went to Australia I never really had the intention or thought that that's my county career done or that I was retiring or finishing up but you just don’t know what way things transpire.

"It was in the back of my head there was a possibility that I mightn’t get back between one thing or another. Between either staying [in Australia] or injury or whatever.

"I'm enjoying being back so far. It's definitely worthwhile when you are back playing in big games in Brewster with big crowds and games with a lot at stake."

Cavan in the Tailteann Cup in 2022 was McMahon's last full outing for Fermanagh. So has anything changed in the footballing landscape since then?

"There has been a lot of change in personnel apart from everything else and it seems to be the way with every county squad at the minute, outside maybe top three or four counties. There's such a serious turnover of players which is probably down to the commitment levels and that.

"In terms of the pace and intensity, it just keeps increasing year on year.

"The first game back I was always going to find a bit of a shock to the system.

"You can tell the intensity levels and the pace of the game has gone up as well but I suppose that also comes with playing Armagh who are one of the top teams in Ulster."

McMahon was full of praise for the newer faces in the squad for their attitude, quality and commitment and he revealed this was one of the motivators for his return: "There's serious honesty among the group and willingness to try and work hard and push on and put the jersey in a better place."

The next two league games will determine where the Fermanagh jersey will be for the summer and next season with survival in Division Two on the line and whether the Tailteann Cup or Sam Maguire awaits.

But for McMahon, nothing beats playing in these high-stake encounters.

"It has a championship feel to it and that is the way we need to have it. We need to create that feel around the group that it’s a championship-type game.

"You find out about the squad and yourself as a player during those games and in the build-up to those games.

"That’s where you want to be. You want to be playing these big games that have something tangible on the line at the end and that is where you are striving to get to."