John Hayes enjoying hype but staying focused

John Hayes didn’t experience much of the build-up to the 2014 county final... and quite the build-up there was, too, given Carbery Rangers hadn’t been involved in the showpiece event of Cork football for 108 years.

Hayes, a member of the Bord Gáis Energy team based at Lapps Quay, was living, along with team-mate John O’Rourke, on the Old Blackrock Road in Cork City and therefore removed from the hype enveloping Rosscarbery. He’s since returned west and, having missed the razzmatazz of two years ago, he’s been keen to get in amongst the locals and sample the atmosphere this week.

“This is an occasion that is there to be enjoyed and fellas should enjoy it,” asserts the corner-forward. “I don’t believe in shutting yourself into a dark room for the week before a big game; you need to get out of the house and you’d get a kick out of seeing signs around the place. When you meet people, you chat away but you don’t want to get caught in long-winded conversations.”