By John Harrington

Waterford manager, Liam Cahill, doffed his cap to a superior Limerick team after today’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final.

His own Waterford players gave it everything they had and hurled right to the finish, but Cahill admitted they found the going hard at times against the formidable reigning champions.

“Overall, just a powerful display from Limerick,” he said. “Really physically commanding again. Real good awareness of what they bring as a team, where every player needs to be. Executed their usual gameplan of holding possession and being able to find the right man at the right time.

“Our boys battled hard. After the first water break we seemed to empty a little bit and give Limerick a foothold at that stage. They kept the scoreboard ticking over Limerick and were five, six up before we knew it and you’re chasing the match at that stage.”

Waterford briefly looked like getting back into the game after a third quarter surge, but Limerick killed them off once and for all when Aaron Gillane struck for a goal just before the second water-break.

“We thought we were getting a little bit of wind in our sails but we were going to need a lucky break of a goal chance to rightly put the cat amongst the pigeons,” said Cahill.

“When you meet a team of Limerick’s calibre, you have to be taking everything on offer. We had five or six wides early on and everything needs to go over.

“I haven’t seen the stats but I think Waterford created at least three or four goal chances in the second half alone. We just didn’t take on the ball where it needed to be to test a goalkeeper of the calibre of Nickie Quaid.

"That’s hurling; that’s life. You take your chances and if you don’t you pay the price.

“It definitely took the life out of us. The match back to six points. A bit of moment going, a bit of pep in our step, especially up front where our forwards were saying “maybe there’s a half a chance here”.

“Then the back of the net rattles down your end and it’s definitely a blow to everybody just right on the whistle of the water break. But look, that’s what good teams do to you. Limerick are all of that, a really good team.”

Beating the All-Ireland champions in what was their fourth match in as many weekends was always going to be a tough ask for Waterford, but Cahill had no complaints about a schedule of fixtures constrained by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We knew the fixtures at the start of the year to be fair,” he said.

“Once we exited the Munster championship to a Clare side who were deserved winners on the day, we knew the route we had to go. Cork will have more or less the same path to reach an All-Ireland.

“Times that were in it with Covid, we were lucky to have a championship."