Wexford hurling boss Davy Fitzgerald has vowed not to put pressure on his players to hurl during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Clare native says he understands if some players decide to sit out the upcoming revamped All-Ireland championships in the midst of the outbreak.
"As a manager of a team, I will not put one bit of pressure on anyone to play hurling in these times. If they want to play, great. And if they don't, then that's no bother whatsoever," Fitzgerald told RTE Saturday Sport.
And Fitzgerald has opened up on the psychological impact of lockdown on his squad and how his management team dealt with the situation.
He said: "The mental aspect of this thing was more than anyone would realise and I think it was very important for us and our backroom staff to stay in touch with one another and keep the lads going.
"We had loads of different things which we'll keep to ourselves that we did and I think it's very important.
"I totally, totally understand and my sympathies would go out to anyone who has been affected by the virus.
"But there is another aspect as well, with people having to cope with being locked up and not being able to go out and not being able to do X, Y or Z.
"It's been a trying time for a lot of people so to try and understand everything is very important.
"Certainly, I would feel there were a lot of players [who] didn't know what they were at and they needed that bit of help which I think is very important."
Fitzgerald watched Rathnure and Glynn-Barntown's Wexford SHC clash during the weekend, one of the few to attend, and says he takes responsibility for his decision to attend matches and training during the pandemic.
He added: "Naturally, you would worry a small bit but at the same time, it's my decision to be at matches, it's my decision to be down training my club team.
"I totally take my responsibility myself so I'm not looking for anyone else to blame for anything. I'm big enough to take my own decisions and I think we all have to do that, instead of saying 'we should do this' or 'we shouldn't do this'. If you're afraid of something then you stay away from it.
"The only thing I'd like to see is just groups of people acting responsibly. That's all I'd like to see. We don't need stupid stuff happening. Just be responsible and do as many of the right things as possible to keep as many people as healthy as possible."
Fitzgerald's charges are primed to get their Leinster Championship defence underway against 2017 All-Ireland champions Galway in late October.
The new-look format means that All-Ireland qualifiers return for the first time since 2017 with two rounds as well as All-Ireland quarter finals deciding who joins the provincial champions in the All-Ireland semi-finals.
