Good evening. You’ve joined us just in time for the throw in to the National League openner in Pairc Ui Rinn.

Optimism is high in cork with the return of JBM. Is it the same in Waterford.

We’re about to find out.

Shane O’Sullivan, Aidan Kearney and Maurice Shanahan are all late withdrawals from the Waterford.

We’re just about ready to get underway.

Paul O’Brien gets the visitors off to a great start. Intercepting a free and sending the ball through the posts.

Cork missed a very score-able free and Kevin Moran puts the deise two points up.

In a hectic start, Naughton comes close to goal for the hosts, but it flies across the face.

Martin O’Neill, with Waterford’s third score.

Still no reply from Cork. Patrick Horgan had a chance from a free out near the sideline, but again the Rebels record a wide.

Well, what Horgan couldn’t do from a placed ball he’s done in fine style in open play.

He opens the scoring for the home side’s league campaign.

We told you Conor Lehane would be good. The young star of Cork hurling burst through and narrows the gap to the minimum.

And that young man has levelled the scores. Conor Lehane with his second from play as Cork fight back.

Lehane, is a little genius. His pace and direct running has prised open the visiting defence and he hands off, allowing Ben O’Conner give Cork the lead for the first time in the game.

This kid is a star. Cronin sent a long ball into Lehane, he killed the ball with one deft touch of the hurl and, whilst falling, smashed the sliotar over the black spot of the bar.

Five without reply for the rebels.

Make that six. Paudie O’Sullivan brings up the half dozen.

GOAL: Waterford just can’t deal with this fluid movement from the red jerseys.

Ben O’Conner bursts through and Cronin sets up O’Sullivan who smashes home giving him a healthy tally of 1-1 in the last 60 seconds.

A slight technical hitch there as Paudie Mahoney scored twice to bring the Deise back within a point.

cork went straight up the other end and cancelled that out with a point apiece from Darren Sweetman and Patrick Horgan

And this Cork power surge continues unchecked by the Waterford defence.

Cathal Naughton, hit the net a minute ago. and Paudie O’Sullivan has grabbed his second goal, powering a shot past Ian O’Regan and into the corner.

Cork running riot.

The rot has slowed slightly as we near the half time break, Paudie O’Mahoney with another score to bring the Deise tally up to seven.

And there’s the half time whistle. An awful lot of men in white jerseys glad that has come.

They trail 3-8 to 0-7.

And we’re underway for the second half now.

Can Waterford regain some respect from their trip across the Cork border?

Nagle has just got Waterford off the mark for the second period with a long free from over 65 yards.

O’Mahoney leads the charge for Waterford and sets up Casey, who hits the second point of the half.

Those of you looking for the latest from Limerick v Clare. It’s 1-8 to 1-13 to the Banner.

We’ll bring you a report of that game later this evening.

O’Neill and Naughton have traded points meanwhile back in Cork.

Martin O’Neill has nabbed his fourth point and keeps the numbers ticking up for Waterford.

They’re battling hard in this one and remarkably are still in with an outside chance.

Pa Cronin and seamus Prednergast cancel out eachother’s points now.

Cork effectively using the jab here, keeping their Munster rivals at arms length.

The fireworks came in the first half and now the hosts just trying to see the game out.

The frees keep presenting themselves for O’mahoney and he keeps hitting them over the bar.

Just five between the teams now.

That young Midleton man is back in the game, Conor Lehane hits one of the scores of the game from out by the touchline. Just to keep Cork a length ahead.

Now there’s a popular score in Pairc Ui Rinn.

It’s the man who made his debut under Jimmy Barry Murphy in 1996, Sean Og O’Hailpin, bursting from his new position in midfield and driving it high over the bar.

Prendergast cancels that out with another score from the placed ball.

Conor Lehane has benn marked muched tighter in this second half. Ye he bursts through and drives his fifth point from play.

‘A man for the future’? More like a star for today.

A much better move from the Deise there. A good sweeping attack finished off clinically by Eoin Mcgrath, The gap is back to seven, temporarily.

Lehane squeezes over his sixth point, this one from a placed ball on the sideline.

Unless Waterford can force a goal, this game is done and dusted.

Five minutes to go.

Gavin O’Brien is a young man who might just have a running battle with Lehane for many years to come. The teenager marks his league debut with a score from play.

Seconds later, his nemesis in the red jersey grabs another stunning score from play, his seventh, this time from the right hand side.

JBM calls Lehane ashore, and Pairc Ui Rinn rises to it’s feet to see him off.

Pa Horgan stretches the lead back out to nine.

Waterford had it down to as low as five at one stage, but in injury time Cork lead by nine.

Just as far classier outfit at this stage of the year.

Ryan narrows that gap for Waterford, but it’s all academic now.

And there we have the final whistle, Jimmy Barry Murphy can only be delighted with his first game back in charge of the rebel county.

Michael Ryan was, of course, disappointed with the result but had nothing but praise For Cork speaking to WLR FM, he said:

“We were up against a cork team who is absolutley flying.”

Ryan added that missed chances at vital times swung the game out of their reach.

“We missed a goal chance and they went up and grabbed three or our points.”

Jimmy Barry Murphy, also speaking to WLR FM, was happy with the result but wasted little time in sending out a stark warning to his players that there is plenty of work ahead of them.

“Home venue is always a very good advantage – we had a bad start but we got the goals and that really settled us down first half.”

“We’re going to be very hard on the players, the second half here wasn’t great and we’ve an awful lot to improve.”

“We go on to play Dublin in Croke park and that’s a huge test because,as I said, home advantage is such a huge thing.”

Well, there you have it folks.

Cork are off to an absolute flyer in the National Hurling League with a comprehensive win over their neighbours.

They started both halves poorly, though. And that is one area JBM is certain to seek to remedy.

In Conor Lehane they have a real gem. We mentioned him earlier in the week as one to watch and he certainly hasn’t shirked the limelight.

Thanks for following the liveblog tonight, be sure to come back to thescore.ie tomorrow for another big day of hurling action.