With days to go until their Munster SHC opener against Limerick, Waterford boss Davy Fitzgerald has been hailed as a 'breath of fresh air' by midfielder Jamie Barron.
In his second stint as county boss, it does not get more difficult for the Clareman then resuming his championship career with the visit of reigning champions Limerick.
Prior to his move to take on the Waterford job, Barron admitted that he had a certain image of the former All-Ireland winner in his head.
After working alongside the 51-year-old for the past few months, however, the Nire–Fourmilewater clubman admits Fitzgerald has changed how he thinks about hurling.
'It's been a breath of fresh air. He's great to work with,' Barron said of the Deise manager.
'He's very understanding. He's totally for the players. He looks out for us. He makes sure that we're enjoying training as well as putting in all the hard work.'
'I suppose everyone has the same preconceptions of Davy and it’s not until you meet him that you realise what sort of a person he is.'
Barron has now worked under five managers during his inter-county career but says that life under Fitzgerald is different from the rest.
'He brings a lot of educational stuff to us, loads of learning,' he added. 'It's just for us players now to be able to take on board all the information he's giving us and try to implement it out on the field of play. That's what we're trying to work on now for the last four or five weeks.'
'He makes sure that we're enjoying training as well as putting in all the hard work. He brings a lot of educational stuff to us, loads of learning.
'It's just for us players now to be able to take on board all the information he's giving us and try to implement it out on the field of play.'
Waterford kick off their Munster Championship campaign on Sunday when Limerick come to town - throw-in is at 2pm.
