Seamus Hickey believes the attention around the Limerick hurlers has increased "drastically" since he retired from inter-county hurling in 2018.
"The only teams I can compare this current crop of Limerick players and management team to is the Dublin six-in-a-row football team, the Kilkenny four-in-a-row hurling team, the Manchester United of '99 - 2000 era, when Ferguson was in his pomp. You really had a villain at the top that people want to see fall," Hickey told Off The Ball.
"The price of success is that you're there to be shot at. You can't complain about these things. For me, the interest in the players off the field has heightened.
"I never had that same interest off the field for most of my career with Limerick. After 2018, when I stepped away, I saw it step up drastically.
"Unfortunately, that's part of the modern world, particularly the online where you have to be ready for the scrutiny or you don't put yourself in the public arena.
20 May 2018; Seamus Hickey of Limerick in action against John McGrath of Tipperary during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 1 match between Limerick and Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
"It's a tough one for players. They're under the microscope pretty much every time they go on a night out. Rumours, you have no control over that. You have no control over unsubstantiated stories that sound good, and people want to be true, but are not. It's part of being at the top.
"I remember the same sort of stories coming out of the Dublin camp, a lot of centred around Diarmuid Connolly, a lot of centred around the different personalities that people didn't understand but wanted to get at.
"The likes of Stephen Cluxton was a mysterious guy and people were trying to create stories that fitted their view of him rather than actually understanding who the guy was."
On Sunday, with one win and one defeat so far in the Munster Hurling Championship, Limerick face Tipperary in Thurles. Hickey said the Limerick bench is still strong but one being tested by injuries.
"I think every team is building a strong five subs off the bench, I see it across the board," said Hickey.
"The Limerick bench is strong but you're testing the bench when you've got the likes of Cian Lynch struggling for fitness. Sean Finn, for me he's irreplaceable, and an incredible player, a joy to watch in how he plays the corner-back position. The reality is you've got Mike Casey coming in and he's a top tier full back, and Richie English is still there.
"Particularly in defence we've got incredible depth. But up the field when you lose the likes of Cian, lose the likes of Gearóid the last day. I have great faith in Cathal O'Neill but he's slightly below the pace and the standard required yet - he can grow into that, he's a very young guy."
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