Quite. The relationship of the pair has not yet reached the stage, or even threatened to, where familiarity festers into contempt, distrust or borderline hatred. Far from it.

Yet this is the first meeting of what one might term the post-Brian Corcoran era. It would be a pity if that the fallout from Corcoran's autobiography were to cast a shadow today. Nor should it, for Waterford are too long on the road to require the artificial assistance of any imagined 'cause' to spur them on.

They're big boys now. The desire to achieve and the search for excellence ought to be motivation enough.

Would that John Carroll had received his red card - and yes, it should have been a yellow - half an hour beforehand seven days ago and a truly awful game thus magically mutated into a shambolically enjoyable affair so much earlier than it did. Nevertheless, on the day, Waterford always looked to have something in hand.

On the face of it, they should outpoint - literally - their opponents here. Waterford's range-finding from out the field remains a thing of frequent beauty. Dan Shanahan and John Mullane may have done little last Sunday other than score three points apiece but that's a pleasing oxymoron, while on his best days Eoin Kelly adds another couple of points to the running total with those musket blasts of his from midfield or wing-forward.

Jerry O'Connor almost invariably puts sliotar to stick and hares off into space before taking aim; but Kelly shoots on sight. It amounts to a considerable weapon to have in a team's armoury.

Having said that, both Pa Cronin and Niall McCarthy landed 0-3 each when the sides met on 10 March at Walsh Park, where the hosts showed more in the way of appetite against a neat but ultimately powderpuff Cork.

O'Connor and Tom Kenny return for the Munster champions who, just in case you'd forgotten, topped their qualifying group - not bad for a team in transition.

Impossible to decide who has the greater appetite here, but it's as easy to go with Justin's lads.

VerdictWaterford

NHL DIVISION 1 SEMI-FINAL CORK v WATERFORD Semple Stadium, 4.15 Live, TG4, 4.15 Extra time if necessary Referee B Kelly (Westmeath) CORK D �g Cusack; B Murphy, D O'Sullivan, C O'Connor; K Hartnett, R Curran, S �g � hAilp�n; T Kenny, J O'Connor; P Cronin, N McCarthy, K Murphy; E Murphy, N Ronan, J Deane WATERFORD C Hennessy; E Murphy, D Prendergast, J Murray; T Browne, K McGrath, A Kearney; M Walsh, S Molumphy; E Kelly, S Prendergast, S Walsh; J Mullane, D Shanahan, J Kennedy