Waterford set for quarter-final spot
Waterford 4-17 Dublin 1-3
The gulf in class was painfully evident at a wet Walsh Park tonight as Dublin's hurlers fell victim to a 23-point hammering at the hands of Munster champions Waterford.
Justin McCarthy's Deise outfit guaranteed their spot in the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals later this month with a demolition job in trying conditions.
The only thing left to decide in Group Two of the qualifiers is whether Clare or Waterford, who both sit on four points and meet next Saturday, top the table for the kinder draw in the last eight.
The winners of next weekend's clash will face the losers of toomorrow's Leinster SHC final, with the group runners-up facing a clash with winners of Leinster's Bob O'Keeffe Cup.
Waterford had tonight's affair in the bag by the break, leading 2-10 to 0-3. The returning Thomas McGrane, former skipper Kevin Flynn and David Curtin all pointed for the Dubs in the early skirmishes but Deise goals from John Mullane - played in by Eoin McGrath on 23 minutes - and Seamus Prendergast - from a Ken McGrath pass just past the half-hour - ensured a one-sided tone for the second half.
Paul Flynn, who was earlier booked, and Paul O'Brien both goaled in the second half to tally up a healthy scoring difference for McCarthy's charges, while John Kingston notched Dublin's first score for a full 49 minutes in the closing moments - a sweetly-hit consolation goal.
