Jimmy Barry-Murphy admitted that Cork weren't at the races in yesterday's Allianz Hurling League final.

The heavy defeat to Waterford has also dispelled any notions of grandeur the Rebels may have had beforehand, according to the veteran and always sporting manager.

"Derek McGrath will be very proud of the way his players played. All we can do is take our hats off and say 'well done' to them," he said.

"I thought they were brilliant, the system of play they used, their use of the ball, their athleticism, their skill level was very, very high. People can talk about systems but their skill level and score-taking was fantastic. All we can do is stand back and admire them and say 'well done'."

JBM continued: "I suppose it is a rap on the knuckles for us all and a warning shot that we might not be as good as we thought. We were honest enough after (the semi-final against Dublin) to say we were happy with the win, but not the level of performance. We didn't get to the level we think we can play to."

Asked if Cork will have learned anything from the defeat ahead of their Munster SHC semi-final rematch with the Deise in five weeks' time, the manager said: "We played our full team available to us as well. We have to try and up our performance and get to the level they were at and if we don't we will be beaten and I am hoping we rebound. Our confidence is dented certainly, but our job is to build the players back up and come back and give it a right go on June 7."

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