As Davy Fitzgerald crouched in celebration on the sideline and the public address roared 'up the Déise', there was no doubting that Waterford are a live force in Championship 2024.
The points weren’t secure until the end but the hosts were never led from Jamie Barron’s second-minute goal.
They still needed Stephen Bennett’s 58th-minute penalty, which saw Ciarán Joyce black-carded, and Cork were down to 13 for a spell when Damien Cahalane was sent off for a second yellow.