Liam Cahill says the Waterford hurlers can't let their guard down now on Covid with the final in sight.
Having avoided issues throughout the last few months, it would be a massive blow to let the virus into the Deise bubble now but Cahill knows that with the festive season approaching and Level 5 restrictions no longer in place, constant reminders must be made.
"You have to keep it highlighted," said the Waterford boss. "You don't take any pleasure in having to beat that drum every night.
"But the worst thing you could do is automatically presume fellas are doing it. We all obviously try our best to make sure we're doing the right thing, but there's none of us perfect.
"You're just asking them to make sure that visitors coming to the house to wish you well and stuff like that, that you just be smart and curtail it as best you can.
"That if they do come they don't overstay and stuff like that. Just small little things.
"But they're all intelligent fellas and they're all really working hard behind the scenes to make sure they're doing the right things and making the right choices outside of the training sessions to make sure that nobody is affected inside."
Cahill says that dealing with Covid has been the biggest managerial challenge of the year, and from which he has learned the most.
"We've learned to be a lot more vigilant, not just on the field but around managing players and making sure that even though I know they're all fully grown adults, you have to still throughout the feeler there that with Covid they're making the right choices outside of the hurling field," he said.
"I know the majority of the players are in professions...they're schoolteachers and in professions like that, where they're in contact with people regularly.
"So we always have to be conscious that you're getting the message out there that you're making the right choices and not putting yourself at risk in relation to Covid-19, that when you come training that you have 35-odd other guys to worry about and putting them at risk as well out of bad choices you make off the field by not social distancing adequately and stuff like that.
"So that element was quite different alright, to be honest, in the current times.
"But from a coaching perspective it stays the same on the field, we still apply what we believe is going to be enough to take us over the line next Sunday".
