Waterford manager Peter Queally said his team were still in the fight for a top three spot in the Munster hurling championship after snatching a draw deep in injury-time against Tipperary.
Kevin Mahony's goal in the final minute of injury-time salvaged a point for Waterford against the All-Ireland champions, leaving both on one point after two rounds.
The Déise have yet to progress from the Munster championship under the round robin format and their prospects of arresting that trend were dimming fast as the clock wound down in Walsh Park at half five on Sunday.
With the allotted period of injury-time having elapsed - though there was a stoppage in the middle of it - goalkeeper Billy Nolan launched a towering ball into the opposition square. Stephen Bennett broke the ball down for the waiting Mahony, who deftly guided a shot into the roof of the net. There wasn't sufficient time for either team to rustle up a winner.
Waterford remain big underdogs to advance, with games at home to Cork and away to Limerick still to come - though the Rebels lost in their last championship visit to Walsh Park. Queally insists that if they can replicate the second half display against Tipp, anything is possible.
"We're still in it," Queally told RTÉ Sport afterwards. "All we need to do is look back on that second half and repeat that second half over 70 minutes against both teams and see what happens.
"We really fought hard in the second half, fought back well. Showed great spirit. We put ourselves in a winning position.
"But Tipp showed why they're All-Ireland champions. When they were under the cosh, they reeled off five points.
"But I never felt our fellas dropped their heads. They kept going and kept going and got the goal at the end for a share of the spoils."
It was a game characterised by wild swings of momentum, with Tipp racing into an 11-point lead after a dominant first half display.
Waterford looked doomed to another early championship exit but came roaring back into the contest in the second half, chipping away at the deficit with points initially, and shackling the Tipperary attack, with Nolan pulling off a crucial penalty save.
After Stephen Bennett's 54th minute goal - his fourth of the campaign already - the game was well and truly in the mixer. Waterford maintained their surge to hit the front in 63 minutes, subsequently going two ahead.
However, Tipp found a second wind down the home straight, floating over seven points in the closing stages to go three clear again. Late points from Stefan Tobin, Jason Forde and Ronan Maher looked to have earned the win for the visitors until the late intervention from Mahony.
With games at home to Clare and away to Limerick still to come, Tipp are still in danger of following Clare in failing to escape the province in the wake of an All-Ireland victory, however Liam Cahill insists he was content with the draw in the circumstances.
"Really proud of our lads as well the way they stuck to the task," Cahill told RTÉ Sport after the game.
"When they went two down, it looked like the game was put to bed with a huge Waterford support here behind them.
"We went three points ahead and possibly could have gotten something [a win] out of the game. But look, we're happy to get a point out of today."
Watch Clare v Limerick in the Munster Hurling Championship on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
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