Waterford captain Kevin Moran says the league semi-final win over Tipperary was "a big statement".

Derek McGrath's new-look side have made little of the fact that they played in Division 1B this year to power through to a league final meeting with Cork on Sunday week. Moran was clearly thrilled following Sunday's magnificent victory over the Premier County:

"It was a big statement, but big statement games are what we needed to win, whether that's by a point or ten points. We're delighted - there's no point in brushing it up any other way. It was badly needed for Waterford hurling. We know what we're doing and we know that we're not going to fold."

"We got hit for a couple of goals at the start of the game. But we've a load of work done, we try to get numbers around the ball and keep working hard, to see where that takes us.

"It's days like this when you appreciate it and say that's why you did the work, where as this time last year we were asking ourselves, 'Is it worth it?' It's been a huge change but it's going in the right direction. It was important that we just got a performance out there and tried to beat one of the better teams in the country.

"We're delighted, the team needed a day like that and now we have a league final to look forward to. We've nothing won but it's great that the Waterford public are rowing in behind us and taking an interest.

"We had a couple of bad seasons, we're just trying to get some pride back in ourselves, back in the team, and I think that was evident Sunday."

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