Brian Cody has dismissed suggestions that Limerick have followed the Kilkenny template to All-Ireland success.
Comparisons have been made between the direct style applied by the Cats under Cody to how John Kiely has turned the Shannonsiders into a winning machine by using similar tactics.
But Cody doesn't see it. "Not at all, no, because why would they want to replicate anything from anyone else," he said.
"You can talk about tactics and everything else but it depends on what players you have. Players dictate how you play the game and you can try to impose different things on different players.
"But the way they (Limerick) play is outstanding and they don't have to take anything from anybody because they have talent.
"They have a top-class management team obviously, a terrific attitude on the field and they just go and play their game. I wouldn't have even considered for one second that they would have taken anything from anybody, and certainly not from us."
Cody insists he isn't worried about what Limerick will bring to their All-Ireland semi-final clash - "I'd be worried if I wasn't out there, to be honest," he said.
But he is a big admirer of how the Shannonsiders have gone about their business.
"It's not just saying it now I said it at the start of the year, i said it any time I was ever asked about Limerick that they're an outstanding team, the best team in the country as I would see it," he stated.
"They're All-Ireland champions and entitled to that respect.
"And that's fair enough, then they go on and win the League which further embellishes what they've done and then they go on to the Munster final, their performance in the Munster final was exceptional - it wasn't just good, it was exceptional.
"I'm not just here saying that just to build them up or take pressure off us at all. I'm only answering the question, what do I think of Limerick? I think they're excellent."
Limerick gave Kilkenny the run around when the sides met in the league earlier in the year and Cody conceded that the Cats weren't competitive enough.
"I remember that day up until 25 or 30 minutes there was very little in it and the last five minutes of the first half they hit us for two goals and that was the way it panned out, really," he said.
"We just weren't able to get back and impose ourselves on that game and they were the better team definitely but that period of the game was crucial to it".
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