A soothing passage for Cork on a misty day by the Lee as Waterford were, for the second consecutive Sunday, culled by one of the traditional kingpins of Munster hurling.
It was hard not to feel a degree of empathy for the visitors, as they again waged a private battle for signs that they might live with the favourites on harder ground. Fierce and, at times flowing in the opening 35 minutes, they stung their hosts for 1-9 before the break and had a settled look.
But as the Cork back six - unchanged but for Brian Corcoran's significant absence from the unit behind the county's last All-Ireland triumph - turned the screw, Waterford's options dried up.
Cork, relatively contained over the first half hour, poached scores with increasing boldness, with Joe Deane and Seanie McGrath razing two points each from play in that second half and Neil Ronan and Kevin Murray coming off the bench to make an immense contribution.
"Of course we were worried at half-time, four points down and playing with the breeze," said Cork manager Tom Cashman. "We began getting the breaks at the half-forward line, our backs tightened up and it was a tough, hard game, great to get the result." Cork's rise had a slow-burning but convincing quality to it. As ever, Waterford's Paul Flynn was their tormentor in chief, rapping home a goal from a penalty and five points in the first half.
The goal was a result of a long free from Tony Browne which was fetched by Seamus Prendergast, who was then dragged down. Flynn's conversion was a bullet.
Fergal Ryan gradually came to terms with Flynn and, crucially, the unflappable Wayne Sherlock was switched over to shadow the live-wire John Mullane, who contributed three fine points from play during the visitors' early burst. He got little change out of the Blackrock man, however.
Sherlock's impressive afternoon was matched by his halfback colleagues. Pat Mulcahy suggested he will be an able deputy for Corcoran, with a marauding and direct centre half display. Sean O hAilpin was his own busy and athletic self, rarely bettered. Only Ken McGrath poached a score from the trio, this a 19th-minute free. Johnny Brenner and Eoin Murphy were retired early.
Down 0-8 to 1-9 at the break, Cork's defensive squeeze immediately began to reap dividends.
"The ball was breaking in front of the Cork half-forwards once they began playing against the wind. We were certainly aware that it would happen and tried to work against it. But we ourselves played a fast game in the first half and couldn't maintain that style. And to be fair, Cork took some very fine scores," reasoned Waterford boss Gerald McCarthy.
After the break Neil Ronan replaced the injured Mickey O'Connell in the Cork team and turned in a gloriously assured display, while Kevin Murray also made an impressive case for himself.
Both substitutes created Cork's 53rd-minute goal, from which the home team never looked back. Ronan steered a long clearance downfield, Murray fetched and, although a point looked the inevitable option, the Cloughduv man threaded a perfect ball through for Alan Browne, who had slipped behind the Waterford back three and smashed in the goal. It was tough justice on the previously excellent Waterford trio.
After that, the Cork attacking six opened their shoulders and sought more goals. Joe Deane got timber to a Brendan Landers clearance only to see the deflection trickle wide after 58 minutes.
Two minutes later, Landers made an extraordinary save from a Fergal McCormack shot with the score at 1-15 to 1-11. Waterford scrambled clear but the ball fell to Ronan, who casually drilled the point.
Waterford were still alive on the scoreboard, but on the field their hopes seemed remote. Flynn was held to a pointed free and Waterford foundered. Tony Browne battled gallantly, Brian Flannery, James Murray and Stephen Frampton had strong games but Waterford's options were too few in attack. Cork, meantime, were mixing steel with silk.
With three minutes to go, Seanie McGrath collected a Mark Landers clearance and impudently lobbed his fourth score to leave a goal between them, 1-16 to 1-13.
As full-time fell an Eoin Kelly snap-shot was charged down by Ryan and Dave Bennett fired over two quick points after his late introduction. But Cork responded with ease.
CORK: D Og Cusack; F Ryan, D O'Sullivan, J Browne; W Sherlock, P Mulcahy, S O hAilpin; M Landers, M O'Connell (0-1, 65); J O'Connor (0-2), F McCormack, S McGrath (0-4); B O'Connor (0-1), A Browne (1-0), J Deane (0-6, three frees). Subs: N Ronan (0-1) for M O'Connell (43 mins); K Murray (0-2) for B O'Connor (47 mins).
WATERFORD: B Landers; T Feeney, S Cullinane, B Flannery; F Hartley, S Frampton, J Murray; P Queally (0-1), T Browne (0-2, one 65); J Brenner, K McGrath (0-1), E Murphy; J Mullane (0-3), S Prendergast, P Flynn (1-6, pen, four frees). Subs: D Shanahan for Brenner (38 mins); E Kelly for E Murphy (50 mins); D Bennnett (0-2) for J Mullane (65 mins).
Referee: S Roche (Tipperary).
