Credit to the boys, they left no cliché unhurled

Mostly Hurling:Leaving Cert English - Ordinary Level. Paper Three, 2007 Question One - Explain the word cliché. Answer - A cliché is a phrase, expression or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty.

Question Two - Write an account of last Sunday's All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-final game between Cork and Waterford using as many clichés as possible.

Answer - All credit to Cork and Waterford for giving 110 per cent in last weekend's thrilling encounter and for keeping the fans on the edges of their seats right until the fat lady sang. The Déise (an Irish name for Waterford) tied up a nail-biter with a highly-controversial score at the 11th hour. While they might feel they got out of jail, they showed a steely resolve and a never-say-die attitude to ensure another day out.

The first goal of the game came when Dan "The Man" Shanahan - who has really been in the groove this championship season - ghosted on to a long ball from Tony Browne to send an unstoppable shot into the corner of Cork goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack's net. That score gave them the cushion they were looking for at that point in time. But Cork are no team of quitters and hadn't any intention of throwing in the towel. By half-time, they were back on level terms.

Waterford came out with all guns blazing after the break, and Paul Flynn, who had been anonymous in the first half, stepped up to the plate immediately to plant a peach of a shot into the Cork net.

But this game was far from over. Cork stepped up a gear and stayed in touch with some well-taken points. After that, it was tit-for-tat until Cork were awarded a penalty, which Neil Ronan duly converted.

The game ebbed and flowed and looked like it was going to go right down to the wire until the Rebel forward Kieran Murphy obliged with a goal right out of the top drawer. This put daylight between the sides with only a few minutes left.

Substitute Kevin Hartnett's point really seemed to have put the final nail in the Waterford coffin, but as we know in sport there's many a slip twixt cup and lip.

With the fat lady to be heard in the distance, cameth the hour, cameth the man. Up stepped Waterford's Stephen Molumphy to finish a great move to the net. With the wire coming ever closer, the Déise's Eoin McGrath ran on to a ball 20 metres out. Spotting enough space in front of goal he decided, with reckless abandon, to go for the jugular and take the ball on. Shot. Save. Another shot. Another save. Goalkeeper falls on ball. Controversial free. Point. Draw match. 3-16 each.

Question Three - You have a short interview with the managers after the game. Write your report, again using as many clichés as possible.

Answer - Well Justin (Waterford boss) what did you make of that?

"I'm so proud of the way the guys hung in there. I have to take my hat off to them. They can hold their heads high. We looked to be dead and buried with time almost up. There's no doubt but we got out of jail. Our team has shown a lot of heart and guts.

"This team has won a lot of close games and it has a lot to do with their mental toughness. But we seemed to lose our focus for a while when Cork went the four points up. The result was no more that they deserved though.'

Can you improve next weekend?

"You bet your bottom dollar we can. We'll finish this off in style. It's no more than this team deserves. They've been round the block too many times not to have learned some lessons today. They now know it's time, once and for all, to get the monkey off their back and they know that they're good enough to do that."

Gerald McCarthy, Cork manager, you have to be frustrated with that finish?

"Frustrated? I'm fuming. I don't want to point fingers but that was some bad call by the referee at the end. He bottled it. There's no question about it, but, at worst, it should have been a throw in. It certainly is a bitter pill to swallow, but we have to do it all again."

How do you prepare for next week?

"We'll just have to get back to the drawing board on Tuesday night. We'll regroup and try and get back on track. We'll need to go up a gear or two earlier in the game. There are a few things that need fine-tuning, but we're aware of that. We'll have to nail our colours to the mast earlier in both halves because we were a little slow off the blocks today, but we're well capable of closing it out properly next time."

Question Four - Write a short preview of the Cork versus Waterford replay. Liberal use of clichés is essential.

Answer - Cork and arch-rivals Waterford cross swords again next Sunday in Croke Park in what should be another battle of epic proportions. There's no love lost between the sides, even though there isn't any bad blood there either. No doubt both teams will come out well fired up with bragging rights and a place in the All-Ireland semi final at stake.

Recent games between these hurling giants have been so close that it's almost impossible to forecast a winner. If Waterford's full-back line can step up a gear and if their forwards have their shooting boots on, then I think they might just shade it.