THREE YEARS AGO as Cork suffered a hammering at the hands of an awesome Limerick team, both Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes were bystanders.
Connolly was on the panel but an unused substitute that day. Hayes was not involved, he’d been a Cork U20 that summer alongside Connolly, a promising underage talent, but one pegged for the future when it came to senior aspirations.
When the teams renewed acquaintances yesterday, the first meeting between the pair in Croke Park since the 2021 destruction, the roles for Connolly and Hayes were different.
Starters in the Cork team, nailed down to wear the number 14 and 15 jerseys. Neither had previously started a game in Croke Park, both only having one substitute appearance at the venue on thier playing CVs.
Connolly came off the bench in the 2021 hurling semi-final against Kilkenny, introduced in the 71st minute and featuring during extra-time in that thriller.
Hayes came off the bench in the 2022 football quarter-final agaisnt Dublin, entering the action in the last quarter of a game where Cork were ultimately convincingly defeated.
And yet that lack of big game experience did not prove a barrier for either. The twin threat exploded to cause severe damage to the Limerick defence. The city southside traditional powerhouses of Blackrock and St Finbarr’s supplied a pair that weighed in wiith a combined 1-7 from play.
But for a marginal call by Liam Gordon to penalise Connolly for a throw ball in the first half, there would have been another goal added to that tally, as Hayes smashed a volley to the net.
They had both endured quiet outings against Dublin last time out, Connolly held scoreless, just as he had been in the previous round against Offaly, while Hayes only scored a single point.
Yet when the need was greatest, they delivered. It was the type of input that provided such a crucial ingredient in transforming Cork from 16-point losers in 2021 to two-point winners in 2024.
The low-key form in the All-Ireland series had not cast any doubt in Pat Ryan’s mind about the talent of this attacking duo.
“Look, first that Dublin full-back line, there are three full-backs that are getting into any team in the country.
“So I wasn’t a bit worried. Look, Alan obviously was sick and probably shouldn’t have played him against Offaly. We were just trying to keep him tipping over, but we knew that he was really buzzing over the last two weeks.
“Brian’s been going really well all along. A fella that was on the Cork football panel, but we knew he was a brilliant hurler. We brought him in with the ’20s and he’s really blossomed as he’s been in. So he’s got more confidence within the group and he’s a huge player for us.
“And he’s a bit different. He’s 6’4″, and he’s got the old Barrs mentality as well, which is great.”
Ryan’s links with the pair can be traced back further than the current senior setup. His time in charge of the Cork U20 teams allowed him to paint a vivid picture of the abilities of both.
Covid delayed the running of the All-Ireland U20 championship in 2020, the final was eventually played in July 2021, with Cork making a major breakthrough to land the title after years of chronic failure to claim underage silverware.
Connolly started corner-foward and scored 0-3, Hayes replaced him in the 49th minute against Dublin that night in Nowlan Park, and picked off a brace of points.
Six weeks later Cork backed that up by winning the 2021 equivalent of the same championship, Hayes was still underage and fired 1-2 in a comprehensive victory over Galway.
By that stage Connolly was embedded in the senior setup, but injuries stalled his progress. Free of those problems this year, he has unleashed his talent with hat-tricks in the league against Wexford and Offaly, a similar goalscoring tally against Tipperary in the Munster championship, and the producer of a series of electric displays.
Hayes embarked on a different journey, a towering midfield presence on the Cork U20 football side that landed a Munster title in 2021, he was pulled into the senior squad that winter, emulating his father Paddy who shone on Cork teams in the ’80s.
He began 2022 with a stellar showing for the St Finbarr’s team that took down Kerry’s Austin Stacks in the Munster club decider, clipping over three points, and then made championship appearances for the Cork senior side that summer.
But by that winter, big time hurling had got a grip of him, with Ryan recruiting his services. Hayes aided St Finbarr’s as they banished 29 years of Cork senior hurling pain with a final succes in October 2022, scoring 1-1 in the final, just like Connolly had inspired Blackrock two years previous, with his 0-13 haul powering them to a first senior success in 18 years.
Last season was a write-off through injury for Connolly, when there was a glimpse of what Hayes could offer in the valuable goal he flicked home on his championship debut when Cork salvaged a draw with Tipperary.
But 2024 has been a breakout year and yesterday was a statement performance for both.
They looked sharp from the start. Connolly ended his scoring drought from recent games by clipping over a point six minutes in. At the close of the first quarter Hayes bounded in from the left and slammed a shot past Nickie Quaid. He thought he had scored a second goal two minutes later only for it to be disallowed, and nearly grabbed another before half-time as he scooped the ball past Quaid but saw it fly just over the bar.
Hayes also raised a white flag in the first half, Connolly robbed Declan Hannon to land his second point, and there was a sense of menace every time they gained possession, causing a serious headache for Limerick’s full-back line, that was shuffled around in an effort to stifle those threats.
During Cork’s powerful third-quarter surge, Hayes and Connolly notched a point apiece. Hayes became a central figure again for Cork’s long puckouts, breaking one for a Connolly point and another for a Shane Barrett score. Connolly also fed Patrick Horgan to tap over a point, and in a frantic finale it was Hayes who rifled over Cork’s last point of the day.
They finished with 1-7 from play between them and also chalked up four wides. It was a level of influence that crucial in swinging the game in Cork’s direction.
Toppling great champions like Limerick required Cork bringing something new to the table.
Installing Connolly and Hayes at the tip of their attack, has applied a layer of strength, directness, and scoring class to their team.
Two gamechangers.
