Davy Fitzgerald expressed his delight at his return to the manger's job with Waterford after his appointment was confirmed this weekend..
The Clare man is back in the hotseat with the Déise after 11 years, with his first spell as manager ending back in 2011.
In the intervening years, he managed his native Banner to an All-Ireland title in 2013 before steering Wexford to Leinster glory in 2018.
Fitzgerald also had a stint as a coach with the Cork senior camogie side, a role that ended following their loss to Kilkenny in this year's All-Ireland senior camogie final.
Waterford endured a disappointing campaign in 2022, crashing out of the championship early doors. Fitzgerald described his excitement at returning to the Déise hotseat.
Speaking to WLR, he said: "I'm delighted, it's been a while. It's been maybe 10 or 11 years since I was down last, we're now 11 years on and a lot of things have changed but I certainly remember my time fondly. The three and a half years I had were something I'll never forget.
"It was a very interesting situation to be in having come out of my own playing career, straight into management and managing some of the greats in the game which was a very eye-opening experience."
And he admitted that coming straight into management off the back of the end of his playing career was slightly daunting.
"When I came into Waterford I'd been told that team is over the hill, it's gone.
"I was so excited to work with the big names, it was massive. I was delighted for the opportunity.
"What was really tough was that some of those stars were coming to the end of their careers. Being a young manager and having to deal with stuff like that was really tough.
I look back on it and it definitely stood to me but I actually find it hard because I looked up to some of them guys, they might have thought 'Davy hated me' but it was actually the complete opposite. There's some of them guys and I actualy adore them.
"When you go into management, you've a job to do. It actually was tough. On the other hand, I absolutely loved it. I can honestly say in my three and a half years in Waterford, I loved it."
And the former Wexford boss also alluded to how he has had to evolve as a manager alongside the ever-changing ladscape in the inter-county game.
"I've changed probably a good bit. If you stay the same way you won't move on with results.
"My time with Clare, I definitely evolved from Waterford. As regards how I deal with poeple and how I see, I'd be a lot more into the individual and trying to understand and get best of him, that'd be the way I've gone.
"I had managed teams for the bones of 15-16 years but had never been at that level. The first number of years I thought I shuld be training them all the way I played or the way I wanted to play. Understand the individual, get the best out of the individual and bring it then collectively together as much as you can to get results."
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