Dublin and Waterford played out a thrilling if ill-tempered draw at Parnell Park where 17 cards were issued in this lively league opener.
Dónal Burke and Stephen Bennett starred for their respective sides as Mattie Kenny and Liam Cahill's men shared the spoils.
It was the home side who started far the brighter at the Donnycarney venue and they went in at the interval four points to the good as a result.
It took the Dubs just 33 seconds to work the scoreboard as Ronan Hayes picked out Rian McBride for the first of the afternoon, before a fine Conor Burke strike from midfield and a Dónal Burke free saw the men in sky blue move three ahead.
Waterford were slow to start and got on the board courtesy of a dead ball from Stephen Bennett on five minutes, and it was that man who would soon give them the lead. He converted a penalty into the bottom left corner after Colin Dunford was stopped in his tracks by Cian O’Callaghan.
O’Callaghan went to the sin bin but the Déise failed to make their numerical advantage count, despite moving into a two-point lead. DJ Foran and Austin Gleeson pointed either side of a Dónal Burke effort to move Liam Cahill’s men six to four ahead.
However, the men from the capital soon moved into the ascendancy and asserted their physicality on proceedings - Conor Burke and Fergal Whiteley hitting the scores to draw the match level, before a fine Danny Sutcliffe point and three Dónal Burke frees gave Waterford plenty to think about.
The yellow cards were plentiful on the cusp of half-time as Eoghan O’Donnell hit one of the scores of the match from well inside his own half to give Dublin a five-point cushion, with a Bennett free providing the Déise their first point in 16 minutes as the half-time whistle sounded, with Dublin leading 0-11 to 1-04.
Stephen Bennett and Foran got Waterford off to a good start in the second period but three points in a row from Dónal Burke moved Dublin back five ahead.
Waterford soon moved into control and four points on the spin saw the Déise bring it back to a one-point affair as two Bennett dead balls and points from Foran and Dunford made matters tight. It would have been much worse for the Metropolitans had Tom Barron not been denied from a cracking save by Seán Brennan.
Ronan Hayes settled the home side's nerves momentarily but they once again found themselves behind courtesy of another penalty and black card incident on 54 minutes.
Austin Gleeson sprayed the ball across to Jack Prendergast who was clattered by Brennan, with Stephen Bennett drilling the penalty down the middle past Alan Nolan as the Déise edged one ahead.
Dónal Burke and Stephen Bennett then traded frees before Chris Crummey punished a mix-up at the back to bring Dublin level for a fourth time.
Burke and Bennett again swapped scores either side of a second yellow for Cian O’Callaghan, which saw him in receipt of his marching orders, and this was followed by another point each by the each side's talismanic free takers as five minutes of added time began.
The pair traded two frees apiece again late on as the sides could not be separated, even amid marching orders for Conor Prunty with seconds remaining - in what was an exciting advertisement for early February hurling.
Dublin: Seán Brennan; Andrew Dunphy, Eoghan O'Donnell (0-01), Cian O’Callaghan; John Bellew, Paddy Smyth, James Madden; Conor Burke (0-02), Chris Crummey (0-01), Dónal Burke (0-12; 0-10f; 0-01 '65), Rian McBride (0-01), Danny Sutcliffe (0-01); Fergal Whiteley (0-01), Ronan Hayes (0-01), Colin Currie.
Subs: Eamonn Dillon (0-01) for Colin Currie (47); Alan Nolan for Ronan Hayes (54); Davy Keogh for Sean Brennan (65)
Waterford: Billy Nolan; Conor Gleeson, Conor Prunty, Kieran Bennett; Jack Fagan, Iarlaith Daly, Tom Barron; Cáthrach Daly, Jack Prendergast; Patrick Curran, Austin Gleeson (0-1), DJ Foran (0-3); Shane Bennett, Stephen Bennett (2-10; 2-0 pen; 0-8f; 0-1 '65), Colin Dunford (0-1).
Subs: Michael Kiely for Shane Bennett (48); Billy Power for Colin Dunford (60); Ciaran Kirwan for Austin Gleeson (67)
Referee: Colum Cunning
