Eight hurling championship observations: How Brian Hayes has weaponised Cork's puckout

Irish Examiner

08-07-2025

We once thought J. Jonah Jameson was harsh, ranting about overturned cars and bent railway tracks every time Spider-Man saved the city from certain doom. Then we heard Pat Ryan last weekend.
Alan Connolly's 3-2 tally, an assist for another goal and man of the match award made him the Rebels' hero on Saturday, but Ryan wasn't fully content.
'Alan was carrying a couple of injuries at the start of the year, momentum has made a difference to him,' he said afterwards.
'He had a bit of a heel issue at the start of the year and was playing through that a small bit. But we could see a different Alan over the last while, he was hungry. Even in the Munster final, his work rate was top-class, his tackling from behind, his hunger today, he probably didn't work as hard tackling from behind because he was winning more ball, and that's where I'd be critical of him a small bit at times.'
Read More
Seánie McGrath: The GAA owe a serious debt of gratitude to the Cork hurlers
Ryan is an awesome man-manager and evidently felt the necessary fuel for the Blackrock man was a challenge rather than applause. Connolly needed a big performance on the day, he stressed, because of the competition for starting spots. He delivered one.
This manager has also transformed his outfit with his tactical intellect. Hurling is a game of mind-warping skill. To succeed you still need more.
Limerick demonstrated that devastatingly. Their forwards are precise and prolific and above all else ravenous chasers. Forward pressure is a fundamental part of their gameplan, a KPI they build their team around. The fact that they failed to force a single turnover inside Dublin's 45 during their quarter-final exit would have flashed like a red warning light on the dashboard. Something deep in the engine was fatally wrong.
In hurling and Gaelic football, a high turnover is a priceless commodity. It offers the chance to launch an attack close to the opposition's goal, with a defence that isn't set. Cork scored a jaw-dropping 5-11 from turnovers in Croke Park. Ryan wasn't content to congratulate his forwards for scoring seven goals. He was highlighting how they could create more of them.
That balance isn't just a tactical philosophy, it's a taste. RTÉ's terrific panel had an engaging debate at half-time on Saturday as Henry Shefflin raised a quizzical eyebrow at Anthony Daly's wide-eyed tribute.
'Fantastic to watch, fantastic entertainment,' purred Daly. 'The skills on show, incredible. It is fantastic to watch.' Kilkenny tend to see things differently.
'I'm not quite sure on Anthony, brilliant game? Munster final, we had so much physicality. People said it wasn't a great game either. This is too open for my liking.' Daly was slightly taken aback: 'Are you not loving watching this like?' Suddenly, Shefflin sounded noticeably like his former manager Brian Cody after the 2014 draw when he couldn't fully embrace the showpiece shootout. Shefflin too, felt something was lacking.
'Anthony, to be honest with you, I am loving watching it. It is great. But here, the atmosphere is more ohhs and ahhs than 'Oh my god' kind of job.' They are, of course, both correct. What Cork produced last weekend was a wonder. The game was far too loose to turn the dial towards classic status. It needs class and contests and collisions.
Niall Ó Ceallacháin offered an honest explanation of their approach in the tie. The thing is, the component that's kept Limerick in the fight with Cork in recent contests has been their relentless forward pressure. They harry and hassle around the middle third, allowing their defence to stay organised and set. For Tipperary, it was both a warning about the pressure on their defenders when they have possession and a lesson in the kind of intensity their forwards must have without it.
Here are eight observations from the hurling championship
How did Kilkenny not know?
In inter-county GAA, analysts opt for a whole host of different approaches. We spent last week inside the Limerick football camp for a feature that will run in these pages later this week but during one particular presentation, it was noted with some surprise that an analyst from a county that they had recently beaten opted to post their entire kickout data on LinkedIn in the buildup to their Tailteann Cup final.
In Croke Park, the stats box is located at the back of the lower tier of the Hogan Stand. That is where both teams' representatives would watch and tag the game live. Stadium regulations necessitate separation of supporters and the teams, so the group in that box can't walk down the steps to the sideline. They must go back into the concourse and take a lift down to the bottom floor.
Unlike Liam Cahill, Derek Lyng wasn't mic'd up for Sunday's game. Several managers prefer clarity of thought, with radio communication channelled through a different member of the sideline team. Obviously, the primary issue with the scoreboard last weekend wasn't the fault of either side. Nevertheless, Kilkenny were unaware it was wrong during that crucial stretch. Lyng still believed they were three down, rather than two, when he gave his post-match press conference.
Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng during the All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Tipperary. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Did they simply go by the stadium scoreboard or the television broadcast? In the Croke Park press box, there was immediate discussion about the discrepancy. The now-viral footage of Marty Morrissey and John Mullane during the closing exchanges even shows Henry Shefflin and Shane McGrath in the background having an obvious debate about the scoreboard's accuracy.
If Kilkenny's management team or squad had similar concerns, the only available course of action would have been to contact the sideline and seek clarification from the fourth official. In the endless efforts to control the controllables, knowing the score is a significant one.
It will likely prove a valuable lesson for others: You can't always rely on the stadium or the screen. The most important numbers are the ones you check for yourself.
The bat
Brian Hayes' transformative impact on Cork can be measured in numerous ways, none more so than his incredible involvement in creating and scoring goals. He has weaponised their puckout too. What is noteworthy is how he has done it. Frequently, the Cork target man does not attempt to catch it.
One of the standout features of Donegal's 2012 All-Ireland was Michael Murphy's ability to break kickouts to the oncoming runners. Cork and Hayes are on the same trajectory. He opts to bat to the breakers. Structure is as important as hunger when it comes to breaking ball.
Their first goal on Saturday was a perfect example. Patrick Collins went long and down the centre with his restart. Hayes held off Paddy Smyth with one hand and batted the sliotar with the other. At the moment, every nearby Cork attacker was ball-side, in front of the defender and primed to win the break. Diarmuid Healy got there first, Declan Dalton offered support and Hayes brought down the hammer with the finish.
Law of the jungle
The view from behind the goal at the Munster final is borderline comical. Two jet powered full-forward lines posed enormous threats and each side set about containing them. As soon as the referee's version of acceptable contact became established, that meant a certain level of man-handling.
The elite inside forwards are capable of taking care of themselves, too. As soon as Dublin's Andrew Dunphy extended his hurl under Patrick Horgan's armpit during Saturday's semi-final, it was only going to end one way. You can't reach into that cage and expect to emerge unscarred. Horgan drove hard, Dunphy couldn't free his arm and the end result was a yellow card. The defender was replaced before half-time.
Hill 16 were enraged soon after when replacement David Lucey was penalised for a tap over Horgan free.
'I think the Hill 16 end of Dubs is right there,' said Brendan Cummins on co-commentary. 'It is just that bit of cuteness. When you leave your hurley in there, he is going to grab it. He is going to back into you a small bit and won the free really well.'
Tipperary dig deep
For Rhys Shelly, the early return was a worry. Tipperary failed to score from their first five puckouts. Kilkenny raced into a 0-3 lead while their challengers were only able to retain possession and get a shot off once in that opening eight minute spell.
Kilkenny opted for a similar defensive puckout strategy to the Leinster final, standing off the Tipperary full-back line. Shelly opted to change tack and try to exploit that. He went short and received possession back in a quick one-two. The goalkeeper was able to carry outside the 21m line before a Kilkenny forward engaged. Then he launched.
Tipperary goalkeeper Rhys Shelly celebrates after his side's third goal during All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Kilkenny. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
At the other end, the royal blue and gold forwards had clustered near the square. They flooded the break, John McGrath collected possession and buried it in the net. In the end, Tipperary scored 2-7 from their own puckout and only conceded 0-3.
As an aside, this was a timely reminder of why a ban on back pass in hurling, similar to the recent Gaelic football introduction, would be a mistake. Kilkenny opted to drop off and were punished for it.
A rematch
It is true that Tipperary will play Cork in the decider for the very first time, but these players have met on a similar stage before. Tipperary won the 2019 U20 All-Ireland final on a 5-17 to 1-18 scoreline. A year previous, a late burst saw them overcome Cork in what was the U21 final.
Eoghan Connolly, Craig Morgan, Jake Morris, Andrew Ormond, Bryan O'Mara, Robert Downey, Tommy O'Connell, Conor Stakelum, Mark Coleman, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Kingston, Robbie O'Flynn, Declan Dalton, Tim O'Mahony, Jack O'Connor are just some of the players who were involved in at least one of those clashes.
Dalton delivers again
For the second successive last-four game, Declan Dalton had a decisive influence in an All-Ireland semi-final. The Fr O'Neill's man was crucial in Cork's plan to take Kyle Hayes out of the game in 2024 and he hit five points, three from play, last Saturday. His deep ability forces opposing wing-backs to follow, creating space in behind for their three-headed beast to thrive.
And yet, this remarkable journey from a player dropped from the panel in 2022 to a certainty to start in 2025 could be set for an inspirational conclusion. The wing-forward was the first man replaced in last year's final. At the time, he smashed his hurl in frustration off the advertising hoarding in front of the bench.
One more game to glory.
The league leaving its own mark
For the second time in three years, the All-Ireland final will feature the same teams who contested the National League decider. If Cork triumph, it will also be the third successive year that the league winners have gone on to climb the Hogan Stand steps.
Praise be to sports social media
Social media tends to get a bad rap these days. Almost all of that is justified. Sometimes sport cuts through the noise and delivers a wave of distilled joy. Last weekend was such a spell.
From the recent rise of pitchside videographers capturing fresh perspectives of iconic moments to magnificent accounts like @GaelicGameStats producing glorious tidbits like this:
'The biggest gap between wins bridged in this year's AISHC was Dublin's 44,098 day wait vs Kildare.
'Regardless of the outcome in the final, that wait exceeded the total of all the other matches put together.
'It's the first time since 1993 that a single wait has exceeded the rest.'
It makes you wonder if the GAA could one day build its own app, a central, curated hub of scores, news, stats, and video updates, where county boards, media outlets and clubs could feed in and contribute. A place for people to get what they need without the chaos that's often unavoidable elsewhere.
All we are saying is that there is a market for the GAA's very own (clean) version of OnlyFans, full of gems such as this angle of Oisín O'Donoghue's wonder goal.