Limerick manager John Kiely said “honest conversations” and “renewed vigour” have been the backbone to a largely flawless season so far as they look to become All-Ireland hurling champions again on Sunday.
The Treaty men have secured the Allianz Hurling League and Munster Hurling Championship so far this campaign.
Galway stand in their way at Croke Park as Limerick look to get to the top of the mountain once again.
Exiting at the quarter-final and semi-final stages of the Liam MacCarthy in the last two years led to plenty of soul-searching for Kiely.
With five All-Irelands already secured from 2018 onwards, he demanded more from his players since last winter, if they were to attempt to try again following the two painful losses.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport ahead of Sunday’s final, he said: “We were disappointed last year, there’s no getting away from that, and the year before, in terms of how our season ended.
“That left us with some choices to make. If we are going to go back, we’re going to have to go back with some renewed vigour because obviously what was done here before was not good enough.
“We were very determined as a group coming into this campaign. Did we have any ambitions to win what we have won? No.
“But you hope that you’ll give yourself opportunities and we’ve had opportunities and we’ve taken them.
“We have another opportunity now so we’ve got to make the most of it. We’ve got to prepare ourselves well and trust ourselves to go after it on the day.”
Limerick lost just one league and Munster clash earlier in the year
Rather than being utterly dominant, Kiely’s side have had to win matches in the closing stages of games.
They needed a 70th-minute goal against Clare to take the lead, having trailed for nearly all of the match after a performance in which they were far from their best.
They were single-point victors on away turf against Cork in the Munster decider, when it looked like all the momentum was with Ben O’Connor’s outfit.
Kiely feels the winning nous and bond between his team is proving invaluable.
He explained: “They’ve been around the block now for a number of years. They know what it takes to win and they’re not afraid to push themselves to their absolute limits as well and to hold each other accountable for that.
“There is always very honest conversations happening. Fellas are challenging each other and when you have that type of culture and environment, only the best can come from it. It’s player-driven.
“It’s all about them at the end of the day. They’re the people on the pitch that are playing. They can deliver the goods.
“The other part is I think they love being together as a group. They’re great friends. They’re super, super tight with each other.
“There is tremendous unity and togetherness within the group and it’s seen in every day, every session, every game. That’s what comes out and I think that’s what facilitates them to work as hard as they do for each other on the pitch.”
Kiely has spoken of his admiration for counterpart Micheál Donoghue, who has been a leading force behind the rise of Galway.
Now in his second spell and looking to repeat their 2017 success, Kiely knows he is taking on someone of a similar vintage and among the very best in the game.
“We know from watching Galway over the last number of games as well that they’re superb hurlers,” Kiely said of this Sunday’s opponents.
“They love being on the ball. They love running with the ball. They’re very accurate when they shoot.
“We know we’re up against a really, really formidable side. Micheál Donoghue knows Galway hurling inside out.
“He’s a student of hurling in general and I have great respect and regard for Micheál and what he’s done for hurling in Galway and outside of Galway over the last 15 years.
“We have a formidable challenge but both sides will look forward to putting their best foot forward on the day and going for it.
“We’ve played many times but against this side playing in the system that they play right now, we’ve only met once.
“There are aspects to how they play the game that are accentuated and it’s going to be a challenge for us but we’ll embrace that challenge now and we’ll take it on
“We saw them in the league, we only barely beat them in the league so I think we’re going to have a rip-roaring game as it should be on the day of the All-Ireland final.
“There’s great satisfaction in getting to the last game of the season. We just want to maximise our contribution to that now and give the lads the best possible chance to be as prepared as they can be.
“As a group we’re in a great place, we’re very much looking forward to this challenge and we’ll embrace the next few days and enjoy it as much as we possibly can.”
Watch the All-Ireland Hurling Championship final, Galway v Limerick, on Sunday from 2.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on all matches on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1