Liam Cahill is later today expected to name his team to face Dublin in the opening round of the league.
The Deise travel to Parnell Park to meet Matty Kenny's side who are flying high after their Walsh Cup success, beating Wexford by 16 points in Croke Park.
Kenny who has been with Dublin for four years is expected to target the league as the county's best chance of some hurling silverware in 2022.
Waterford will be focussing on using the league as preparation for the championship, with Liam Cahill telling WLR Sport last weekend that he hoped to make it as far as the final four while shuffling the deck as much as feasible along the way.
The task of getting off the mark with a win will be made all the tougher due to the number of players who are unavailable for selection. With Ballygunner finalising preparations for their club All-Ireland final several players won't feature for Cahill until after their clash with Ballyhale at GAA HQ. Pauric Mahony, Dessie Hutchinson, Peter Hogan, and Ian Kenny will all be focussing on club affairs for the next 10 days.
Of the players who are free from club duty, a large contingent are doubtful ahead of this evening's team news with several players reportedly carrying knocks - Conor Prunty, Kieran Bennett, Jamie Barron, Neil Montgomery, Darragh Lyons, Shane McNulty, and Gavin Fives are all reported to be tentative.
Elsewhere, Michael Kiely of Abbeyside could have a busy weekend if selected. He played Fitzgibbon cup last night for UL - as did Billy Power, with both striking the back of the net in a 5-25 to 1-14 win over TU Dublin. Shane Bennett also raised a green flag in a 5-17 to 0-20 WIT win over Maynooth University midweek. Billy Nolan was also in action for WIT, as well as Tom Barron and Ciaran Kirwan.
After his heroics for UL, Kiely will also likely be lining out for the U20 football final when Ballinacourty meet Rathgormack this evening in Fraher Field.
The Deise make the trip to Dublin on Sunday, with throw-in at 3.45. WLR will bring you the game live thanks to George Corbett Skoda, with Kieran O' Connor and Brian Flannery on commentary.
