Cork 0-17 Waterford 1-24
Derek McGrath’s Waterford have been crowned Allianz Hurling League Division 1 champions in Thurles.
The Division 1B winners, promoted back to the top flight for the 2016 campaign, claimed a first league title since 2007 with a comprehensive ten-point victory over a disappointing Cork outfit at Semple Stadium.
Substitute Tom Devine’s 64th-minute goal, a scruffy effort that squirted past Cork netminder Anthony Nash, killed the Rebel challenge in Thurles as Waterford, despite registering 14 wides, cruised to victory.
Cork will point to a couple of disputed second-half frees awarded to Waterford at a crucial stage in proceedings as turning points.
Just three points ahead, 0-13 to 0-10, Waterford moved five clear when leading scorer Pauric Mahony was on target from placed balls in the 45th and 46th minutes.
And Waterford were also thankful to goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe for an excellent save in the first-half from Seamus Harnedy's goal-bound effort.
O’Keeffe was beaten 12 minutes from time but Conor Lehane’s effort struck the Killinan End crossbar, as a defensively-solid Waterford went on to keep another clean sheet.
The Déise were unfairly dubbed as the ‘Donegal of hurling’ earlier this year but they finished with nine different scorers today.
Pauric Mahony, consistently good all year, produced another top-scoring display which yielded 0-11 for the Ballygunner clubman.
Captain and man of the match Kevin Moran collected three points from play, while Devine finished with 1-01 after coming on.
17,559 spectators watched Waterford claim a third league crown and while there was plenty of punch up front, Noel Connors and Austin Gleeson were stand-out players at the back.
For Cork, the fallout will be considerable and the Leesiders must regroup quickly in time to face the same opposition in the Munster SHC in five weeks time.
Patrick Horgan hit 0-07 but all those points were from frees as Cork struggled to make headway in the opposition half.
At half-time, Waterford were 0-11 to 0-7 clear despite playing against the breeze blowing towards the Town End of Semple Stadium.
It was a half that saw Cork register just three points from play, as Horgan kept the Rebels in contention with four frees, while Waterford collected six scores from play.
Gleeson claimed the score of the game in the 29th minute, surging down the right touchline before unleashing a superb point from the New Stand side of the field.
It was an effort reminiscent of the stunning goal that heralded the arrival of the Mount Sion star when the sides met at the same venue in the Munster championship.
From an almost identical position, the 2013 All-Ireland minor winner had earlier cut over a brilliant sideline as Waterford opened up a 0-05 to 0-03 lead.
They were three points clear within four minutes. Mahony opened proceedings with a 65 and a point from play before Maurice Shanahan burst inside Cork full-back Aidan Ryan for a point.
But the Rebels gradually settled and a trio of Horgan frees had Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s charges in touch by the 11th minute, trailing by 0-03 to 0-04.
Waterford looked to have more desire, however, and were 0-07 to 0-03 clear before Conor Lehane pulled a point back for Cork.
The Leesiders could have been level in the 20th minute but Waterford goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe did brilliantly to keep out Seamus Harnedy’s fierce drive.
Rob O’Shea and Waterford’s Jamie Barron traded scores before Gleeson brought the Waterford fans to their feet with that spectacular point from play.
Horgan and Mahony swapped placed balls before Bill Cooper reduced the arrears to a goal in the final minute of the first half, 0-07 to 0-10.
But there was still time for Waterford to surge into a four-point interval lead, as Mahony collected his fifth of a productive half with a stoppage-time free.
Cork’s day was summed up in the 47th minute when Bill Cooper’s shot appeared to split the Waterford posts but was ruled wide, on a day when Hawk-Eye was in Thurles, but present only on a trial basis.
Cork: A Nash; S O’Neill, A Ryan, S McDonnell; L McLoughlin, M Ellis, C Murphy; D Kearney, A Walsh (0-01); B Cooper (0-01), S Harnedy (0-02), R O’Shea (0-01); A Cadogan, C Lehane (0-05), P Horgan (0-07f).
Subs: P O’Sullivan for Cadogan (inj, 11), B Lawton for Walsh (49), L O’Farrell for O’Shea (49), D Cahalane for Ryan (57), G O’Brien for Barron (70+1).
Waterford: S O’Keeffe; N Connors, B Coughlan, S Fives; A Gleeson (0-02, 1 sl), T De Búrca, Philip Mahony; J Barron (0-01), K Moran (0-03); C Dunford, Pauric Mahony (0-11, 8f, 1 65), M Walsh (0-02); J Dillon, M Shanahan (0-02), S Bennett (0-01).
Subs: B O’Halloran (0-01) for Dunford (58), T Devine (1-01) for Bennett (61), S O’Sullivan for Dillon (67), M O’Neill for Gleeson (70), J Coughlan for Harnedy (inj, 70).
