Donal OG Cusack does not expect Jimmy Barry Murphy to be caught out by the modern game after more than a decade away from the inter-county hurling scene.
Barry-Murphy is making his return to inter-county management after over ten years away and he will find that the game has changed dramatically since he stepped down as Cork boss in 2000.
A disappointing couple of years have resulted in the Rebels falling behind Tipperary and Kilkenny and Barry-Murphy will have to adapt to the changes in the game if he is to prove a success in his second stint in charge.
Cusack has dismissed suggestions that Barry-Murphy will struggle to manage in the modern game because he believes the All-Ireland winner has kept abreast of the developments.
"Jimmy is an astute guy. He always has a keen interest in sport," Cusack said.
"I remember speaking to Kieran McGeeney about it a couple of years ago that, if you do leave, things move on so quickly. But Jimmy has always been interested. He's a sportsman by nature and I don't see him having any problems.
"He did his time and he was successful. He did the brave thing in coming back again. It would have been easy for him to waltz off into the sunset and say, 'I was a winner in my time as a player and as a manager' but I think it's an illustration of his passion for the game and his passion for Cork that he decided to come back and contribute."
Cusack will lead Cork through the 2012 season and he is delighted to have been asked by Barry-Murphy.
"Cork is a huge part of my life. I came into the panel in 1996 and it's been the main part of my life every year since," he told the Irish Daily Mirror.
"It's a great honour and it's something I treat seriously."