Any suggestion that a national league title is somehow low on the list of priorities can easily be rejected on the basis of the general reaction to Cork's victory over Galway in Thurles yesterday.

First of all, the presence of 40,000 spectators gave lie to the assertion that is second-rate stuff, but the biggest recommendation of the merit of the competition came from the field, where Cork and Waterford battled as fiercely for this title as any.

That commitment was reflected in the thoughts of both managers afterwards. Cork's Jimmy BarryMurphy said of the Waterford players:

"they have made great strides and I think were a bit unfortunate to lose here today. Certainly seven points difference is not a fair reflection of how they played and I know that they will be very disappointed with that. They missed several good chances and might have put us under severe pressure in the second half if they had opened up a gap. As well as that there was an element of good luck for us about the second goal which came at a crucial stage.

"We are delighted, of course, to have won. This win is very special and important for us," he added. "We were hammered in the championship by Limerick not long ago and we really needed to get something under our belt.

"We knuckled down to the task and put a young team together with a few more experienced players. We have now regained our respectability; but we are still a long way away from an All-Ireland title.

"What is really important for us, however, is that this is a national title and our young players are very proud of that and they will get inspiration from us. It means that we can now concentrate on building on it once we have this trophy in the bank."

His former colleague in the Cork forward line, Gerald McCarthy, was anxious to console his young Waterford squad.

"They have worked really hard and with great determination," he said. "The fact is, however, that we missed far too many scoring chances when we got opportunities, particularly in the second half and you can't expect to win matches such as this unless you make the most of your chances.

"They are all very down, right now, but we will put it behind us. We play Kerry in Tralee next Sunday in the championship and if we win that, we meet Tipperary in the semi-final. That is a great incentive for us and we are determined that this is our last defeat of the year. We have come a long way and we have great potential. We didn't do ourselves justice today but we have learned a lot" he said.

A delighted Cork Lord Mayor, Cllr Dave McCarthy, reminded the turbulent Cork dressing-room that he had been at another Cork victory in Dalymount Park on Saturday night which brought an ironic cheer from the players.

Cork's veteran goalkeeper, Ger Cunningham, had seen many scenes like this before; but was in no way dismissive about it. "Playing in a young developing team is a great thrill for me. We played really well; but Waterford missed many chances to put us under pressure. But they didn't take them and I believe we're a bit lucky to have won by seven points", he said.

Among some of the younger players is Sean O hAilpin, who also confessed to being delighted with the victory. "It was a great boost for us. We didn't play to our potential. Waterford were hungry for victory and they were on top for a while but we managed to hold them off. I believe, however, that they will be a very difficult team to beat before this year is over" he said.

One of the Cork selectors, Seanie O'Leary, another former colleague of Barry-Murphy and McCarthy, described the team's performance as "topsy turvy". "We had a bit of luck as far as the second goal was concerned and we have to confess that Waterford were on top for a long period in the second half," he said. "We found it very difficult to get possession of the ball but Waterford didn't make the most of their chances and I think that Fergal McCormack's marvellous point in the 19th minute convinced us that we capable of winning the match."

The sentiment was confirmed by Seanie McGrath of the Cork team, who said that the winning of this game was a stepping stone on the way to better things. "It was our first national medal for most of us and that means a lot to us," he said. "I am convinced that we can go on but I know that we have a lot of hard work to do. We are delighted with what has happened so far and it gives us great hope for the future".

The Waterford captain, Stephen Frampton, bemoaned the fact that his side had missed so many chances in the second half.

In fact, an unofficial tally gave Waterford 15 wides in the course of the match and that is something surely which will have to be dealt with as they prepare for the Kerry match next Sunday.

"We are bitterly disappointed" said Frampton, "but I know that we have enough potential in the team to comeback and play our part in the Munster championship and we have to pick ourselves up within the next week and be prepared for a stern test by Kerry. It is a match that we simply can't afford to lose."