HURLING ANALYST:Waterford's great start proved crucial and, without producing their best, they were good enough to beat Tipperary and reach that elusive final, writes Nicky English

EVEN FROM a Tipperary man's perspective, you have to be happy for Waterford. Looking at the delight on the faces of Ken McGrath and Tony Browne at the full-time whistle was perhaps the best indication of what it means to this group to finally make it to September. It has been a long old road.

Hurlers of their stature belong on the biggest stage of all and after so many years of anguish they will finally get their day. That it is against the relentless force of Kilkenny is for another day.

Waterford's lightning start proved crucial in the end. The worry was Tipperary would be content with their achievements so far in 2008 and therefore struggle to find another gear in Croke Park. This proved correct.

They were horribly flat from the outset and were bullied all over the field, none more so than the half-forward line where Seamus Callinan eventually scored 1-2 but Hugh Maloney and John O'Brien were replaced.

The Maloney experiment didn't work. He is a defender by trade and was dropped into centre forward to win the ball that would spark the Tipperary forwards' fuse. It was a risk-reward strategy that didn't pay off. Even when Callinan switched to centre forward they were under pressure.

A crucial moment came when Callinan forced a good save from Clinton Hennessy but the ball broke unkindly for Micheál Webster who, moving away from goal just couldn't get a clean shot away. You felt at that point it wasn't to be Tipp's day.

Larry Corbett has been the team's best forward all summer but looked to be burdened by the residue of injury and with little ball coming off the half-forward line, Eoin Kelly was left to largely soldier alone.

The tone for the match was set early and while Tipperary got back into it and nearly made it over the line, Waterford's six points without reply planted the seeds of doubt in the younger opponents' psyche. It reinforced the notion that Waterford had no fear of Tipp. Another aspect was Tipperary's continued poor results in Croke Park.

That Eoin Kelly and John Mullane posted a few wides before half-time kept Tipperary in it. Otherwise it would have been a huge mountain to climb while in fact they emerged from the early bombardment relatively unscathed.

I felt at half-time they had a chance and the early malaise would trigger the necessary response. There were patches of excellence but ultimately the Tipperary players will be disappointed with their individual performances. The corner backs in particular found themselves under severe pressure.

Shane McGrath is a honourable exception as he carried his magnificent league form through Munster and into the All-Ireland series. He has certainly come of age as one of the country's top midfielders.

Even though Tipp got on top for most of the second half, I never felt comfortable. Waterford didn't seem to reach their best and yet it was enough. That is the most disappointing aspect from a Tipp point of view. They remain a work in progress and this year really has ended too soon.

I don't want any criticism of Waterford to be construed as sour grapes. The fact that Dan Shanahan remains a shadow of his 2007 self and "Brick" Walsh was a few notches down from his best can be seen in a positive light. It means they can still go up another gear. Heaven knows they, like every team in the country, need to find an extra level when coming into contact with Brian Cody's Kilkenny.

The irony of this victory for Waterford is in the past five seasons they have blazed into the All-Ireland semi-final only to falter. It has been the opposite this year. Hunger and maybe the memory of defeat to Limerick got them past Tipperary. Desire played a big part and they rode their luck - something they have not been blessed with in previous semi-finals.

By removing Justin McCarthy in June they backed themselves into a corner. That they came out fighting is testament to the character of men like Ken McGrath, Eoin Kelly and especially the performance of Eoin McGrath yesterday.

Davy Fitzgerald must also be credited for his tactical contributions. Jack Kennedy made a significant impact and the late substitutions helped run down the clock with the arrival of Gary Hurney and Shane O'Sullivan slowing puck-outs.

They can now ride a confidence wave into the All-Ireland final. The odds will be stacked against them but there has to be one massive performance left in the tank. If they can get it out, even Kilkenny will struggle against them.