John Kiely believes Limerick will have to show all of the flexibility and adaptability that has made them three-in-a-row All-Ireland champions when they open their title defence against Waterford on Sunday.
The Treaty steamrolled their way to a Division 1 league title and with a cleaner bill of health and deepening squad resources, they are favourites to collect a record-equalling fifth consecutive Munster title.
But in Waterford, Kiely sees opponents who will test his troops in a way they haven't experienced so far this year.
"It'll be different to what we've had in terms of the set-up will be different. Davy [Fitzgerald] sets his teams up differently," he said.
"There's far more fluidity to the set-up of the opposition so we're going to have to be flexible, we're going to have to be adaptable, and we're going to have to cope with some unusual positionings on the field.
"But some things won't change. The Waterford team are extremely skilled individuals, a lot of really great hurlers. They're physically very strong. They're very experienced.
"They've been around the block now the last five or six years with us in tandem and we've had some great battles with them. They have forwards well able to score and again they have a penchant for goals.
"There's a huge challenge coming on the 23rd. Those first round games are very important in terms of setting the tone and there's a lot at stake."
Limerick’s resilience is another fundamental principle Kiely reaches for when discussing his side and their ability to shrug off injury-enforced absentees.
They won the league final against Kilkenny despite captain Declan Hannon and Kyle Hayes' late withdrawals, plus a suspension for William O’Donoghue.
"Most injuries occur in training, in-house. It's part of the game, it happens. We have shown a great capacity to cope when these things have happened.
"We haven't allowed any player to get injured and for it to affect the team in the collective sense in terms of our performance.
"We have a very strong belief in our panel and the quality of the group of players we have and there is always somebody ready, willing, and able to step up and take the place of anybody who might get injured."
Aaron Gillane went 46 minutes of the league semi-final against Tipperary without touching the ball in open play. Rather than signalling an evolution of style, Kiely believes it reflected the tactical battle of that game.
Gillane certainly showed plenty of signs of recovering his championship sharpness as he created the first goal and then dispatched a sweet volleyed finish for the second against Kilkenny.
"It was more reflective of the nature of that particular game. It wasn't that he wasn't able to get to the ball or it wasn't because he didn't catch it.
"I don't think there were many balls delivered in the full-forward line in that first 36 minutes of play. The chances were being taken and created further out the field.
"It was difficult for players out the field to find opportunities to hit the ball into the inside forwards."
No team has come through the Munster championship with a 100% winning record since the round-robin system, although Limerick came closest as they went unbeaten last year.
Kiely would like to think a perfect record is possible if not probable.
"We're all hoping to get through with that record. We'd all like to think we could do it but it's very difficult.
"The challenges are immense and you don't know the challenges you're going to meet along the way in terms of sickness, injury, form... you just don't know what the narrative is going to be.
"Every season has its own story. We don't know what it's going to be. We will try to control it as much as we can but ultimately, you're in there in that system and you have to try and survive for as long as you can.
"It's going to be really difficult but at the same time, that's what makes it what it is and that's why it's such an amazing competition.
"There's nobody not looking forward to this."
Watch Waterford v Limerick in the Munster Hurling Championship on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
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