Cork came out on top in extremely difficult conditions at Fraher Field, overcoming Waterford by three points on a night that will be remembered more for the weather than the hurling.

Driving rain and a swirling wind made clean striking and handling very difficult from the outset. Cork adapted quicker to the conditions and opened the scoring through Dave Nolan before adding another from play via Stephen McHugh. Waterford struggled early on and missed a chance from a tight-angle free before finally getting off the mark in the 20th minute through Emmet Walsh.

Dylan Murphy began to find his range from placed balls and added a couple of frees to bring Waterford back into it, but Cork finished the first half strongly. Points from Tom Huggins, Tadhg McCarthy, and Stephen McHugh gave them a cushion, with McCarthy landing a free right on the stroke of half-time.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Cork again striking first through Cormac Murphy. Waterford responded well, with Dylan Murphy continuing to convert frees and substitute Donncha Flannery making an immediate impact off the bench with a point.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, it remained a one-score contest. Cork kept edging ahead through Tadhg McCarthy and Ryan Cagney, while Waterford stayed in touch thanks to Murphy and a late free from Cian Delaney.

With three minutes of added time played, Cork found a vital score through Sam McCarthy to stretch the lead. Waterford replied again through Delaney, but they couldn’t find the equaliser.

In the end, Cork’s ability to cope better with the harsh conditions and their strong finishes to both halves proved the difference, running out 0-12 to 0-09 winners in a tough, hard-fought contest.