John Kiely says his experiences refereeing in-house training games have influenced a new emphasis in his approach to officials this year.
The Limerick manager chuckled that he's a "crap referee" as he empathised with the pressure on refs.
He even gets taken to task by his own players during those internal sessions.
"I referee our in-house games and, by Jesus, they're tough to catch everything," smiled Kiely.
"I can tell you, Diarmaid Byrnes has stripped me on several occasions for decisions I have made that he won't agree with.
"It's an abrasive environment inside in the middle of it. You're trying to catch it as best you can and try to do it as close to what would be done on the day. They'll tell you straight out, I'm a crap referee."
Kiely is a stickler for calling technical fouls, such as throwing or overcarrying the sliotar, to replicate the matchday environment.
"I really go after those because I don't want us to suffer from having been pulled up for those and it costing us," he said.
"That's my only way of ensuring that it's on their mind and that they're trying their damnedest to do it within the rules of the game.
"I absolutely am strict on the handpass and strict on steps. They're two pieces in particular that we go after."
That’s all helped to inform his new focus for interactions with referees this season.
"I've taken on, I won't say a different approach, but a greater emphasis on helping the referee to have the best day they can this year and for us not to be a distraction and for us not to get involved," said Kiely.
"Just to trust him to get on with the job and do the best he can. Wish him well beforehand and thank him for doing the job afterwards.
"That's where it's been with us this year – you'll probably have noticed that if you think back on it – because it is a very, very difficult job.
"We've only got a few, so we need to mind them. They're not hanging off the trees."
Kiely feels that those officials appointed to the big matches come in with similar aspirations to players.
"This is their big day and they want to get it as right as they possibly can. They're obviously under great pressure. It's a tough, tough job.
"It requires the full cooperation of their whole team. They have four umpires, two linesmen, a fourth official, and a referee.
"None of the teams want to walk away feeling that an incorrect decision might have cost them the game. I'm sure the referee doesn't want to go home knowing that he made a mistake that cost the game as well."
Just as the physical demands are high on players, they also apply to referees.
"Thomas (Walsh) and Liam Gordon have been injured. The physical demands of the game for them are huge," said Kiely.
"We saw Thomas, the way he struggled last year in the Munster final. In the heat we have these couple of days, if we were refereeing a match, it’d put you to the pin of your collar.
"The bottom line is we wish them the very best, we hope that they have a great game. We hope they walk away feeling proud of their job they've done."
Limerick have close to a clean bill of fitness as they approach Sunday week’s Munster final against Cork.
"The injury update is there's no injuries. Touch wood, it's a great place for us to be," said Kiely.
"We have one player who's nearly back with a hamstring, Eddie Stokes. This week, he'll re-engage with the group in a full capacity. Outside of that, we're in a great place.
"Touch wood, it's gone well for us and hopefully it'll stay that way."
