Waterford 5-20 (35)
Wexford 0-16 (16)
Waterford are through to the Allianz League Division 1 Hurling Final after they swatted Wexford aside with a superb display at Nowlan Park.
Austin Gleeson (2); Dessie Hutchinson, Jack Prendergast and Shane Bennett all raised green flags in a showing that included 2-5 without response in the second quarter for Liam Cahill's men, cruising through to meet Cork with nineteen points to spare.
The Deise began the first half in fine fettle, with Dessie Hutchinson taking just 25 seconds to split the posts from an acute angle on the left-hand flank.
Patrick Curran assumed dead-ball duties and the Dungarvan man doubled the early advantage with a '65. Wexford got on the scoresheet when the impressive Damien Reck picked out Conor McDonald to belt over a beauty, before Hutchinson was denied the opening goal with Mark Fanning springing down to his left to slip the sliotar around the post from the Ballygunner man's low drive.
The Deise didn't have long to wait for the first goal however - Fanning's puck-out landing straight into the hand of Austin Gleeson, and he drove down at goal before thundering the sliotar into the far corner on five minutes.
Charlie McGuckin kept the Leinster side ticking over with a well-taken effort from distance, before a fine score from Michael Kiely in the corner having been picked out by Hutchinson.
The Deise were dominating and creating multitudes of space, with Wexford winning just one of their first seven puck-outs.
Rory O'Connor got off the mark when dispossessing Curran to point, before an inspiring score from Damien Reck - hooking Darragh Lyons and letting rip to reduce arrears to two.
Liam Cahill's men had goals in their sights and almost plundered a second when Jack Prendergast offloaded to the overlapping Hutchinson, but his rasping drive was bravely blocked at the near-post by Fanning on thirteen minutes.
Curran nailed the requisite '65, before Wexford hit three on the spin through Mikie Dwyer, Rory O'Connor and Diarmuid O'Keeffe bringing the Yellowbellies level on 17 minutes.
One would assume this gave Darragh Egan's men the momentum - instead, it lit a fire in the Deise, who walloped 2-5 to no reply.
It began with a simply superb goal on 17 minutes, Dessie Hutchinson with an incredible pass to send Gleeson racing through once again, and the Mount Sion man made no mistake to find the far corner for the second time.
He then nailed a free from miles inside his own half, before being picked out by Colin Dunford to bring his personal tally to 2-2 early on.
Dunford's hamstring was next to go, as Shane Bennett entered the fray - but a Jack Fagan effort somewhat eased the blow temporarily.
Michael Kiely then showed the strength of a bull to shoulder Diarmuid O'Keeffe to the floor, and the grace of a ballerina to clip the sliotar over.
Goal number three arrived on 29 minutes. Darragh Lyons found himself with space to run into, and the Dungarvan midfielder put down the head and ran before picking out Hutchinson with an exquisite pass - the Ballygunner forward battering the sliotar into the top corner to give Waterford a ten-point advantage on the half-hour.
Curran popped over a free to make it 2-5 without reply, but three points in a row from Wexford via Paudie Foley (2) and Oisin Pepper made it 3-9 to 0-10 at half-time, the Deise with eight to spare for their promising first-half offering.
The Munster men made a wonderful start to the second period, hitting the first three scores while also forcing Fanning into another superb stop. That came from fine play between Fagan and Bennett, who set up Hutchinson to be denied a second green flag.
Two Curran points either side of a fine Hutchinson point had Waterford coasting, before one of the finest goals you'll see all season arrived on 41 minutes.
An incredible piece of skill from Patrick Curran saw him stay within the parameters of the pitch to lay on to Kiely, and he popped the sliotar onto the free-running Jack Prendergast - who duly obliged by nearly taking the roof of the net off. 4-12 to 0-10. Goodnight Loch Garman.
Curran clipped over another impressive free for his sixth score of the day, with an impressive point from Rory O'Connor ending an 11-minute drought for Wexford.
O'Connor then pointed his fourth, before Neil Montgomery got in on the act for Waterford with a superb strike from the right sideline.
Substitutes Lee Chin and Jack O'Connor then combined with the latter clipping over, before Jack Fagan grabbed his second from wing-back with a beautifully guided effort from the tightest of angles.
Rory O'Connor did his best to chip into the Deise advantae but they still led by thirteen with time fast running out for Wexford. Try as they might, they struggled on account of superb defensive displays from the like of Conor Gleeson, Shane McNulty and Darragh Lyons.
The joy continued as Calum Lyons made his seasonal re-appearance, and it got even better for Waterford as a fine Curran point was soon followed by goal number five.
Shane Bennett did well to dispossess Matthew O'Hanlon and then marauded up the right flank, jinking inside Simon Donohoe before batting to the net past Fanning to cap a five-star Deise display. Further efforts followed from Hutchinson and Gleeson as the Deise added icing to the cake, while Conall Flood notched one for his tally to little consolation.
Victory was soured late on with a straight red card for Austin Gleeson, after he was adjudged to have struck Donohoe off the ball.
Both sides finished with fourteen as Jack O'Connor flung his hurl in the direction of Shaun O'Brien, with two late points from Pauric Mahony bringing Waterford's total to 5-20.
The Deise were superb to a man, and meet Cork in the League decider, while Wexford's unbeaten run under Darragh Egan ends in a 19-point drubbing.
Waterford: Shaun O'Brien; Conor Gleeson, Iarlaith Daly, Shane McNulty; Jack Fagan, Tadhg De Burca, Iarlaith Daly; Darragh Lyons, Austin Gleeson; Neil Montgomery, Jack Prendergast, Patrick Curran; Dessie Hutchinson, Michael Kiely, Colin Dunford.
Subs: Shane Bennett for Colin Dunford (24); Kieran Bennett for Michael Kiely (51); Tom Barron for Iarlaith Daly (61); Calum Lyons for Jack Fagan (61); Pauric Mahony for Darragh Lyons (63)
Scorers: Austin Gleeson (2-03; 0-1f); Patrick Curran (0-07; 0-04f; 0-02 '65); Dessie Hutchinson (1-03); Shane Bennett and Jack Prendergast (1-00 each); Jack Fagan and Michael Kiely (0-02 each); Pauric Mahony (0-02, 0-1f); Neil Montgomery (0-01)
Wexford: Mark Fanning; Simon Donohoe, Liam Ryan, Damien Reck; Paudie Foley, Kevin Foley, Matthew O'Hanlon; Liam Og McGovern, Diarmuid O'Keeffe; Cathal Dunbar, Mikie Dwyer, Charlie McGuckin; Rory O'Connor, Conor McDonald, Oisin Pepper.
Subs: Oisin Foley for Cathal Dunbar (42); Jack O'Connor for Oisin Pepper (42); Rory Higgins for Conor McDonald (47); Lee Chin for Mikie Dwyer (53); Connal Flood for Kevin Foley (60)
Scorers: Rory O'Connor (0-05, 0-03f); Paudie Foley (0-02; 0-02f); Damien Reck, Diarmuid O'Keeffe, Mikie Dwyer, Charlie McGuckin, Conor McDonald, Oisin Pepper, Jack O'Connor, Lee Chin and Conall Flood (0-01 each)
Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow)
