Limerick 1-25
Waterford 0-17
Limerick have ended Waterford's Liam McCarthy dreams, with an assured performance enough to see off a spirited Waterford at Croke Park.
Seamus Flanagan, Cian Lynch and Tom Morrissey starred for John Kiely's side, who are in back-to-back finals for the first time since 1974. For the Deise, it was a case of missed opportunities as they couldn't find a way past Nicky Quaid - while they were left to rue a string of first half wides.
It was the All-Ireland champions who started the brighter, with the impressive Cian Lynch pointing from close range after 53 seconds.
Seamus Flanagan then took advantage of a Shane McNulty slip to slip the sliotar between the posts, before Kieran Bennett got the Deise on the board with a well-taken long-range effort from the puck-out.
A soft free saw Aaron Gillane enter the scoresheet, before tempers flared as Jamie Barron came to blows with Gearoid Hegarty. As the Deise laid down markers in physicality, Austin Gleeson cut over a beautiful sideline cut from the left flank to make it a one-point game on 7 minutes.
Waterford were then left to rue four consecutive wides as they were reduced to long range efforts - Kieran Bennett, Dessie Hutchinson, Jack Fagan and Stephen Bennett all off target - before Gillane tapped over a free.
Stephen Bennett lifted the spirits by dispossessing the Shannonsiders with a superb shoulder before pointing under pressure, with the scores at 0-04 to 0-03 at the first water break.
Austin Gleeson grabbed his second with a sweet curling strike to bring the sides level for the first time on 20 minutes - before John Kiely's men began to purr and leave the Deise with work to do.
There was six unanswered scores in succession - with Gillane blazing over the bar when in truth a goal looked a certainty, before a great point from Seamus Flanagan, who was causing Shane McNulty the world of trouble. Gearoid Hegarty soon notched his first, before the Waterford went straight to Peter Casey and he teed up Flanagan to fire over his third.
An Austin Gleeson potshot and another wide did little to alleviate growing nerves, as Gillane clipped over another dead ball, before Diarmaid Byrnes surged forward and showed great composure to split the uprights. It was 0-10 to 0-04 at that point, and Waterford badly needed a score - Dessie Hutchinson obliging from the 45m line after a good run off the shoulder of Jamie Barron.
Peter Casey then hit a fine point from the 65 before Cian Lynch added onto it, and soon followed an 8th wide from Waterford. Tom Morrissey's point meant all six Limerick forwards had been on song and they were also 8 points to the good.
With Darragh O'Donovan dominant in midfield, Limerick made many overloads - but two frees courtesy of Bennett and Gleeson steadied the ship. Soon, Will O'Donoghue became the 8th man in green to find the radar, before Cian Lynch slipped in his third. 0-15 to 0-07, and Waterford left with huge work to do after half time, with Limerick motoring ahead after the water break.
The second half began as did the first, with Hegarty and Tom Morrissey combining for the latter to score, before another superb effort from man-of-the-match Seamus Flanagan over his shoulder to push Limerick ten ahead.
Stephen Bennett did his best to weather the storm with frees either side of a Peter Casey effort, before a magnificent moment saw Calum Lyons catch the opposing puckout and dart at the defence before raising the white flag.
Dessie Hutchinson clipped over from the left flank to reduce the gap to 7, before Bennett and Diarmuid Byrnes cancelled one another out.
Austin Gleeson was then found in space down the right and unleashed a rasping effort toward the net but as usual - Quaid was equal to it.
Stephen Bennett and Calum Lyons brought Waterford back within six points as the Deise showed some potential to mount a fightback, but it was an Aaron Gillane goal that killed the Deise's championship aspirations right on the cusp of the water break.
Shane Bennett's sideline cut was intercepted by Gearoid Hegarty and he offloaded to Gillane who smashed the sliotar across Shaun O'Brien - and it looked like good night Waterford.
Credit to Liam Cahill's men, they fought to the bitter end and died in their boots. Waterford were given hope when Peter Casey was sent off for a headbutt on Conor Gleeson, but with ten points between the sides - it was still more of a mountain than a molehill.
Jamie Barron looked to have finally breached the rearguard but somehow Quaid diverted his goalbound effort on the hour with his head.
Tom Morrissey and Jamie Barron split the posts, before Diarmuid Byrnes was accurate with the dead ball from distance as there was 11 between the Munster rivals with 5 minutes to go.
Quaid, Sean Finn and Barry Nash then combined to deny Gleeson twice - before efforts from Jamie Barron and Austin Gleeson added parity for the Deise.
However, Limerick finished with an air of class that was evident throughout the evening - the outstanding Darragh O'Donovan registering a maiden score with a brilliant free, before a trademark Tom Morrissey effort saw the champions prevail on a scoreline of 1-25 to 0-17.
It wasn't to be for Waterford - but they will take heart from another promising summer at hurling's top table.
Waterford: Shaun O'Brien; Ian Kenny, Conor Prunty, Shane McNulty; Calum Lyons, Shane Bennett, Kieran Bennett; Jamie Barron, Peter Hogan; Jack Fagan, Jack Prendergast, Stephen Bennett; Dessie Hutchinson, Austin Gleeson, Patrick Curran.
Subs: Darragh Lyons for Peter Hogan (43); Michael Kiely for Jack Prendergast (43); Neil Montgomery for Jack Fagan (52); Shane Fives for Ian Kenny (55); Patrick Curran for Shane Bennett (58)
Scorers: Stephen Bennett (0-06, 0-05f); Austin Gleeson (0-04, 0-1 sdl, 0-1f); Calum Lyons, Jamie Barron and Dessie Hutchinson (0-02 each); Kieran Bennett (0-01).
Limerick: Nicky Quaid; Sean Finn, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes; William O'Donoghue, Darragh O'Donovan; Gearoid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Seamus Flanagan, Peter Casey.
Subs: David Reidy for Gearoid Hegarty (65); Graeme Mulcahy for Seamus Flanagan (67); Richie English for Seamus Flanagan (67); Conor Boylan for Cian Lynch (70); Cian Coughlan for Barry Nash (70)
Scorers: Aaron Gillane (1-06, 0-05f); Tom Morrissey (0-05); Seamus Flanagan (0-04); Cian Lynch (0-03); Diarmuid Byrnes and Peter Casey (0-02 each - Byrnes 0-1f); William O'Donoghue, Gearoid Hegarty (0-01 each); Darragh O'Donovan (0-01f)
Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow)
