Tipperary Under-21 hurling manager Liam Cahill has admired the approach taken by Limerick senior boss John Kiely and has looked for similar traits from his players during their development with the Premier County.
Tipp’s underage side have put some smiles on the faces in the county after a poor season for their senior outfit by reaching the final, where they will play Cork in the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, and Cahill is pleased with the respect they have shown the jersey and their management.
He told RTÉ Sport: "We really look for the person first. I think I have seen that of late with John Kiely of Limerick as well. I read a piece coming up to the All-Ireland that he mentioned he looks for people before players.
"When you're dealing with underage players in particular, the modern day young fella is a lot different to what I had been used to at that age growing up.
"You look for a guy that really wants to hurl for Tipperary and is coachable, a good listener and respects you first off.
"If you have respect you have a great chance. Thankfully the amount of respect these players have shown myself and the management team, not just this year, but the last couple, has been immense.
"It was all about renewing hope in what we are about in this particular squad. This squad had been a decent squad at minor level and we really honed in on having a real decent performance. We wanted to renew a bit of hope in the Tipperary supporters that follow them as well.
"These young men are very much aware of what the real genuine Tipperary supporter looks for and demands.
"We try our best as a management team to instil that in the team that we put on the field."
Tipp have battled back from a Munster final defeat to the Rebels to reach the All-Ireland decider, with their manager looking for methods they can overturn the 13-point deficit that day.
Cahill added: "We played reasonably well against Galway but when we meet Cork we have to go back to the Munster final to right the wrongs.
"We will try to draw as much constructive hope from that to bridge the gap from the Munster final. We are really looking for this team to perform."
With a vacancy in the senior role, Cahill again stated his interest but said he has not contact at all with the county board.
"If the opportunity arises to talk to the people involved, fine, but I'm very, very sure that there is a lot of capable candidates out there. I have two years left with the Tipp underage structure and I'll be quite happy to continue in that role if that job is not for me in the long-term.
"It's a massive job. It brings its own pressure."
