Munster SHC Semi-final/ Waterford 5-15 Cork 3-18: Who'd have thought it was going to end up like this? Cork, weakened by suspensions still resolutely in place after a week's frantic committee-room activity, gave the favourites a jolt of a match but couldn't quite keep the three-in-a-row on track in Munster.
Waterford will be pleased to have pillaged five goals but less content that their supposedly settled full-back line shipped three in return, with further concessions narrowly averted.
Yesterday's Guinness provincial hurling semi-final throbbed with the usual wattage provided by these teams, and by the end, despite a last-chance attempt to roll the dice for a replay - a dropping free that held up for one final shot at bridging the three-points margin, which crashed off the crossbar - Waterford had got their anticipated show on the road.
This might have lacked the grandeur of the classic Munster final of three years ago but it was exciting, oscillating stuff. The lead changed hands violently with a succession of goals but Waterford did enough to stay in front for most of the match and were caught only twice in the second half.
Cork's ability to trade shots at this level of ferocity was unexpected but they made a fine attempt to overcome the loss of three important players and could have scored more, their wides total of nine contrasting with the winners' parsimonious four, and the underhit penalty by Ben O'Connor that Clinton Hennessy stopped could have been a telling response seconds after Waterford's fifth goal, in the 58th minute.
But in the end the winners deserved the victory. Their familiar, uninhibited hurling had created the chances for goals and although they suffered the equally familiar longueurs that Cork exploited to stay in touch, they too could have had even more goals than the five they managed.
Séamus Prendergast should have done better with a ground shot when one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the first half and a couple of poorly placed passes prevented other chances fully presenting themselves.
Yet after a fresh opening when the forwards' movement was aggressive and purposeful, Waterford fell back, and in the 14th minute Cork full forward Kieran Murphy swooped to seize back the early initiative and push Cork ahead 1-2 to 0-3.
Goals are a feature of this fixture and no one would have been surprised if told there were more in the pipeline. But few would have expected the gush that followed.
Back came Waterford five minutes later with Dan Shanahan, an established plunderer of goals in these matches, finishing smartly from a Séamus Prendergast pass, with John Mullane also queueing up for the chance.
It's a rare match that paints its outline in goals but that was what happened. Mullane, got his chance six minutes later off his weaker side and at the near post. Still Waterford were only half done for the first half.
Cork were still able to reclaim the lead when Eoin Murphy lost possession and Patrick Cronin sped in to place Murphy for his second goal in the 30th minute but Waterford were about to inflict some familiar damage.
The returned Paul Flynn reran his party piece from the remarkable Munster final of three years ago between the teams. This wasn't as far out as that fateful intervention and had been back-chatted into a central location by the Cork defence but the force and spin were there and the outcome much the same.
The original award had had a suspicion of compensation about it, as it came after an incident in which Mullane looked to have been awarded a free but instead play continued and Niall McCarthy scored at the other end. The next Waterford attack culminated in a free that didn't look as clear but led to Flynn's goal.
Shanahan added another in injury-time, finding space to drive the ball through a crowded goalmouth.
Although Joe Deane - well recovered on this showing from recent bad form - slotted an impossible-looking point before the break, Cork still trailed by five on the whistle.
For periods they had been in the ascendant, with Jerry O'Connor and Tom Kenny - taken off injured after a spectacular challenge in the 51st minute prevented Flynn getting a clear shot on goal - getting the better of Michael Walsh and Jack Kennedy, but when the goals starting coming Waterford thrived as usual in the free-form exchanges.
After a mild opening to the second half the lead was out to six but Cork responded with a two-minute blast that yielded 1-2. Jerry O'Connor drilled for goal in the 46th minute and a deflection allowed his brother Ben point the resulting 65.
The latter then deftly broke a dropping ball to Cronin, who crowned another vigorous display by clipping to the net.
An overhit pass was salvaged by Deane for a point and suddenly we were back in a one-point match, 4-10 to 3-12.
Shortly afterwards the scores were level and hovered tantalisingly around that mark as the fourth quarter progressed.
Waterford got a great contribution from the half backs. Ken McGrath was solid and his rocket-launcher clearances often got the team on the front foot. Tony Browne had problems with Cronin but chipped in two splendid points from the right wing.
Replacement Brian Phelan had a stormer in the short 15-minute period available to him. His first-time clearance in the 58th minute set up Kelly for a lone run on goal and a cool finish for 5-12 to 3-15.
Another clearance led to a point for Shanahan and the match stayed in Waterford's grasp.
Despite Cork's late surge Mullane and Browne provided the killer points, the latter after replacement Eoin McGrath's lofted, crossfield ball had placed the wing back in space.
It might have had its flaws but Waterford's display gets their challenge on the road in exhilarating style. So far so good.
WATERFORD: 1 C Hennessy; 2 E Murphy, 3 D Prendergast, 7 A Kearney; 5 T Browne (0-2), 6 K McGrath (0-1, free), 4 J Murray; 8 M Walsh (capt), 13 J Kennedy; 12 E Kelly (1-6, five points frees), 10 D Shanahan (2-1), 9 S Molumphy; 15 J Mullane (1-4), 11 S Prendergast, 14 P Flynn (1-1, goal a free). Subs: 17 B Phelan for Murray (55 mins), 20 E McGrath for Molumphy (58 mins), 19 S Walsh for Flynn (70 mins). 22 D Coffey for E Murphy (60 mins).
CORK: 1 A Nash; 4 S O'Neill, 3 C O'Connor, 2 B Murphy; 5 J Gardiner, 6 R Curran, 7 K Hartnett; 8 J O'Connor (0-2), 9 T Kenny (0-2); 10 K Murphy (Erin's Own, capt), 11 N McCarthy (0-2), 12 P Cronin (1-0); 13 B O'Connor (0-5, two frees, one 65 and lineball), 14 K Murphy (Sarsfields) (2-0), 15 J Deane (0-6, two frees). Subs: 17 S Murphy for B Murphy (half-time), 20 T McCarthy for N McCarthy (44 mins), 21 N Ronan for J O'Connor (58 mins), 18 P Kelly for C O'Connor (61 mins), 22 C Naughton (0-1)for T McCarthy (61 mins).
YELLOW CARDS: Waterford: D Prendergast (29 mins), K McGrath (53 mins). Cork: Gardiner (31 mins).
Attendance: 36,352.
Referee: Barry Kelly(Westmeath).
