Heartiest congratulations to Waterford. At long last they've made it back. The heart of every genuine hurling fan will lift at the sight of the white and blue jersey as the Déise men march behind the Artane Band next month. The heart of every genuine hurling fan, including those from Kilkenny, will lift at the sight of Tony Browne and Ken McGrath – two great servants of the game – as they march side by side with the likes of Henry Shefflin and JJ Delaney. It'll be a moment to remember and cherish.

It's appropriate that the white and blue will be sharing the stage with the black and amber. To those of us in the south east, this final will be extra special. There was a time, half a century ago, when the same corner of the country reigned supreme in hurling and when Wexford, Kilkenny and Waterford each won the All Ireland in a four-year space. The rivalry between Waterford and Kilkenny was intense but never ugly. The counties met in the finals of 1957, 1959 (twice) and 1963, and all were massive occasions. Waterford lost in 1957, having been eight points up with eight minutes left. Kilkenny scored five goals in 1959 and still only drew before losing the replay. Most bizarrely of all, Waterford put six goals past the one and only Ollie Walsh in 1963 – and lost!

The late Joe Cody of Erin's Own, a member of the Waterford panel in 1959, was remembered last Sunday before the throw-in. The legendary Charlie Ware ("into the square, says Charlie Ware," as the phrase went), also of Erin's Own, who lined out at full-back in the 1938 final against Dublin – a game he later maintained Waterford lost on the sideline – was a selector in 1948, when the county won their first All Ireland title, captained by Charlie's brother Jim, the goalkeeper. The Waterford of the late 1950s and early '60s were powered by city players, Erin's Own and Mount Sion the dominant clubs. Today the majority of the starting XV hail from west Waterford. It is a team in which the whole county has a stake.

Many of the older Waterford players despaired of ever seeing the county appear in another All Ireland final. Not any more. Now the great Frankie Walsh can realistically hope he'll finally pass on the mantle of being the last Waterford man to captain an All Ireland-winning team. This was not only a heady week for Waterford, it was a heady week for hurling in what has been a heady summer.

Ware wouldn't have had any criticism of the sideline last Sunday. Davy Fitzgerald, that fine servant Peter Queally and Maurice Geary made all the right moves and made them at all the right moments. For the first time on semi-final day in the modern era, maturity saw them through. Tipperary were a bit like Waterford had been in previous semi-finals, which was all understandable for a young team and a management in its first year. For once, Waterford were the old dogs for the hard road.

As we suspected, freetaking proved important. As it turned out, Waterford's Eoin Kelly was the superior Eoin on the day. His namesake's uncharacteristic miss from a 65' entering the last five minutes followed by the Waterford Eoin's conversion of a free from the middle of the field led to an ultimately decisive two-point turnaround.

But the winners had many other heroes. Eoin McGrath, who's having his most consistent year ever, scored two vital points and kept Conor O'Brien under the cosh. Eamon Buckley was under similar pressure from John Mullane, who hit three points and caused consternation every time he had the ball. The Tipp forwards were well held, although they did play into Waterford's hands by bunching, and Lar Corbett had his poorest day of the season. The Thurles man appeared caught in two minds when driving that late wide.

Eoin Kelly looked sharp but was unable to get on the ball enough, while the losers' half-forward line, Seamus Callinan excepted, failed to win sufficient primary possession and were outplayed by the immediate opponents. Here Kevin Moran was far more comfortable at wing-back than he had been at full-back against Clare in the provincial quarter-final. Alongside Moran, Ken McGrath was having his first championship outing at centre-back in 12 months. The run will bring him on a ton.

Waterford have their share of areas with room for improvement. Brick Walsh needs to continue his recent upsurge in form at midfield, where Jamie Nagle was substituted, if Derek Lyng and Cha Fitzpatrick are to be faced down. The full-back line is another sector that will require attention in order to cope with the numerous threats Kilkenny will pose. And Dan Shanahan has two more weeks to prepare himself for the most important game of his life.

The good news for Waterford is that they're improving with each outing. They're fresh, they're benefiting from the back-door route, they haven't yet peaked and both the management and the players have been using their heads well. Of all the teams out there, they're the best equipped to take on Kilkenny. They will be far more formidable opponents for the champions than Limerick were last year and are unlikely to be as naïve.

It truly is a final to look forward to. I can't wait. Bet you can't either.

PS Well done to Billy Walsh of Faythe Harriers and his boxers at the Olympics. Ireland's success has been a triumph for good structures and proper planning. Not a coincidence!

lgriffin@tribune.ie