Goals win games, but plenty of points help too.
Galway took the plaudits at Salthill after a second-half performance that put them well out of sight of the chasing Deise men.
Waterford had the lead up until the 34th minute, with the scoreline poised at 2-11 to 2-12 in favour of the home side, but it was Conor Cooney combining with Brian Concannon to hit the back of Shaun O Brien's net that made the difference. The Tribesmen never relinquished their lead from that point onwards.
Waterfords early success saw them lead with as much as six points before the first water break, with few balls not going to hand and Galway struggling to get a foothold in the game.
Despite two early wides from Kieran Bennet and Callum Lyons, the Waterford attack worked well, with Stephen Bennett, Jack Prendergast, Kieran Bennett, Callum Lyons and Neil Montgomery all registering on the scoresheet.
Galway struggled to hit the target for the opening ten minutes with attempts sailing wide of the mark on five occasions, but Conor Cooney and Cathal Mannion claimed the ball and Conor Whelan made his presence felt also to reduce the Westerners deficit.
By the first half water break, Six Waterford players had contributed to the score sheet and with the wind to their backs, the game looked to be going in one direction. Prunty, McNulty and Gleeson had all stood tall in defence and the Deise had a score double to that of Galway (0-5 v 1-7).
Thinking back to last years Championship when Waterford struggled coming out of the water break - that same symptom raised its head again today.
A quick Joe Canning free followed up by an Adrian Touhy goal lit a fire under Shane O'Neill's team. Two more goals followed thanks to Canning and Concannon to put some daylight between them and the visitors at halftime. Four points the difference, and the home side would have the wind to their backs for the second 35.
It wasn't all Galway in the second quarter as Shane Bennett's tidy ground hurling found the back of Eanna Murphy's net.
Shaun O Brien made some great saves and Waterford could have been looking at a very different scoreline if it wasn't for some of his contributions.
Joe Canning had shown his skills in the first half, having played wing-forward for a lot of the game. His reading of the game was immense and even though he lacks the pace of old, his speed of thought hasn't dwindled in the slightest.
If Waterford hadn't dealt well with the water break in the opening half, the same cant be said for the return to play. Leaving the dressing rooms and returning to the Pearse Stadium pitch Dessie Hutchinson rattled the back of the net. He fielded the ball well and did all the work that was needed to finish it off. He was well marked throughout.
Goals to win games, but as Limerick have proven in the past year, a shed full of points doesn't go astray in your efforts.
14 efforts in the second half for the hosts was enough to stay beyond touching distance. Waterford managed 11 for the second 35, but it wasn't enough.
Despite Galway shooting wide on seven occasions, the game was in their grasp throughout the second and third quarter, with Waterford becoming looser at the back.
Galway were offered too much space and well able to earn some easy scores from the Waterford full backline.
The stand-out moment of the second half was given to Canning who stood over a line ball and drilled it over the bar from a distance. That gave Galway a five-point advantage and Waterford never looked like reducing the gap.
Liam Cahill will have plenty food for thought on the drive home. He has often spoken about wanting more goals from his team, and while they scored three, conceding four is worrying. Especially when they went one worse against Cork a few weeks ago.
Next up for the Deise will be the visit of Tipperary to Walsh Park and a chance for Cahill to manage against his home county for the first time.
If the first-quarter performance could have been extended throughout the game, there would be little concern, but with the Championship drawing near and a date with Clare beckoning, there's no doubt that some harsh truths will be offered behind closed doors.
Better that this result happened in the league and not in the opening round of the Championship.
Full-Time Score from Salt Hill Galway 4-28 v 3-23 Waterford
