The Deise meet Wexford in UPMC Nowlan Park this Sunday where 70 minutes stand between Liam Cahill's team a first league final under his stewardship.
2019 was the last time Waterford contested the league final when they met Limerick in Croke Park; a day that saw John Kiely's team run out as 1.24 - 0.19 winners.
The Treaty would go on to win the competition again in 2020, while last year Galway and Kilkenny were crowned joint champions in a year with no real league final to play.
Some familiar faces were on the score sheet for Waterford in 2019 with Stephen Bennett hitting nine points, Pauric Mahony getting five, Austing with two while Philip Mahony, Kevin Moran, and Jack Prendergast all raised a green flag each.
The last time Waterford lifted the Dr. Croke Park was in 2015 when Derek McGrath headed up the management team and the De La Salle man has been thinking about the importance of claiming silverware for a team who have been pipped for success by their peers.
"We won a League '15, beaten in a League final in '16 and beaten in an All-Ireland final in 17 and then kind of faded away and '18. I don't think it'd be catastrophic if they don't win the league. Now I do think they'll go all out. I also don't agree with the nonsense that's been written about 'Ah shur look, you nearly want to be out of a league final because you'll be preparing for a Munster Championship. I think the catalyst of winning a league, the knock-on effect of the confidence of gaining one trophy in the cupboard - you take '15 we won the league and we kind of had a fairly celebratory tone afterward. We were beaten comprehensively in the Munster final by Tipp. The point I'm making is that the league would be put on the shelf by these boys because there's another target."
If Waterford are to go on and lift league honours, McGrath expects some players to be key in that effort. Colin Dunford has gone through a resurgent period in recent weeks he says - with his early first-half performance in Corrigan Park to the forefront. Two early goals looked likely to make for an afternoon to remember in Belfast before he was sent to the stands much too early for his liking. McGrath also points out Michael Kiely as one of the stand out players of the campaign, "He's taken on the form that he displayed with UL - that confidence that comes from winning a Fitzgibbon under Anthony Nash in UL."
Another young player who has everybody watching with close attention is Lismore's Carthach Daly who has staked a claim for a place in the team with his performances so far this year, "I've always liked his competitive streak. I'm not gonna use the word nasty, but he's an up-and-at-it type player. I like his approach to the game. You know, if you're in the trenches, and you talk about the likes De Búrca in the trenches or Prunty or Barron - Carthach won't be found wanting when you're in the trenches in terms of just that solid personality that he is"
With two semi-finals down for decision this weekend - Waterford will need to see their way past the Yellow Bellies while Kilkenny and Cork will do battle in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. As with any final, there's only room for two teams on the final day and McGrath says he'll be surprised if it's not a Waterford v Cork decider.
"I think the advantage Cork have of Páirc Uí Chaoimh on a Saturday night; the fast pitch, the familiarity of the pitch, the speed of the Cork forwards as against a new approach from Kilkenny that we saw evident last Sunday night. I think possibly you'll see a few more come back into the team that were rested up for last week. But you'll also see Liam saying 'Let's produce here now this weekend'. So I think we'll fire a few warning shots in a bit of a statement on Sunday and I think it could be Waterford v Cork"
