A week to draw breath

THE echoing sound you hear is an empty tin of superlatives. The perception that Waterford and Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final yesterday couldn’t possibly match their clash in the Munster championship was right after all. Yesterday was better.

Over 72,000 people stayed to the very end: with Cork one up in injury time, Eoin McGrath danced cross-field to set up an equalising point chance, but then he threw one last dummy and steered goalwards. If you’ve never seen 72,000 people struck by the same thought at the same time, yesterday was probably your only chance to see the light-bulbs come on as the crowd realised... HE’S GOING FOR IT.

McGrath’s shot was saved by Donal Óg Cusack, Paul Flynn’s shot on the rebound was stopped, but in the resulting scrum referee Brian Gavin gave a free in, which Eoin Kelly pointed for the draw.