Cusack turns goalkeeping art into a whole new ball game

FOR the last two weeks, much of the talk around Cork’s one-point All-Ireland quarter-final win over Limerick revolved around balls: subterfuge balls, sleight-of-hand balls, all nonsense talk.

Let’s talk now of the kind of balls shown yesterday, yet again, by this outstanding team. At half time of a rip-roaring contest, the two teams headed for the dressing rooms tied, eight chiselled points apiece, each one hewn from two granite defences.

Having notched the final two points of the half, Waterford were the happier of the two sides, trotting off tails up. Two minutes into the second half, it looked even rosier for them when they smashed and grabbed 1-1.