Michael 'Brick' Walsh praised Derek McGrath and his management team for picking Waterford up off the floor and getting their summer back on track after the 0-21 to 0-11 defeat of Wexford.
It was comfortable for the Déise, who managed to ease through despite firing 17 wides, and laid to rest to demons of their Munster final meltdown against Tipperary.
A 5-19 to 0-13 hammering led to some soul-searching in the county, and Walsh was quick to praise McGrath's role in steadying the ship when heavy criticism was flying their way.
“You seen it in the football qualifiers – it’s very hard to turn it around after losing a provincial final," Walsh told RTÉ Sport.
"Great credit to Derek and the lads over us, they got us turned around and we obviously won here today.
'Brick' Walsh reflects on a job well done for the Déise https://t.co/ZlfAFZFEra #RTEgaa https://t.co/vu5HZ35ukb
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 24, 2016
“It’s a great win here; it was all about getting out with a win and moving on to the semi-final. Wexford were always going to be a massive test, especially with what happened two weeks ago. It wasn’t pretty but we got the win.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs in games. Wexford had a bit of a purple patch and we dug it out and were comfortable enough in the end."
Waterford's reward is a 7 August All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Kilkenny.
Having picked up the pieces of their provincial disaster, Walsh is fully aware his side face a monumental task to make the September decider.
"We’re under no illusions," said Walsh. "Tipp and Kilkenny have proven to tbe the top two teams over the last number of years. We’re up against a huge task, we’ve no qualms about that."
