When Cork's Brian Hayes met a fork in the road, fate intervened

HAPPY HAYES: Brian Hayes arrives for the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Limerick and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

In conversation here three years ago, Brian Hayes expressed the hope that he would one day have to make a decision. A decision on whether to plump for the Cork senior hurlers or footballers.

The conversation took place in August 2021. Hayes was coming off a remarkable and relentless summer in red. Across a 17-day period the month previous, the then 20-year-old clipped two points off the bench in the county’s Covid-delayed 2020 All-Ireland U20 hurling final win, captained Cork to Munster U20 football glory, and also found time to squeeze in a successful Munster U20 hurling campaign.

On August 18, he crowned a glorious few weeks with 1-2 in their successful All-Ireland hurling title defence. His dual endeavours fed an inevitable question: In which corner did his aspirations sit going forward? Did he want to be a Cork senior hurler or footballer?

“Realistically, it is not possible [to do both],” Hayes said at the time. “If the opportunity comes, I’ll hopefully have to make a decision. And genuinely, I’d have a 50/50 split between them. It’s been like that since I was 15 or 16. I wouldn’t really have a preference.” 

Initially anyway, there was no decision to be made. The footballers wanted him for the following season, the hurlers did not. It proved a frustrating debut season. The Barrs’ run to the All-Ireland club semi-final and subsequent injuries meant he saw only eight minutes of league fare. His sole start of the year was the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Dublin.

There was never to be a second football start. His old U20 hurling boss Pat Ryan was promoted to the senior gig a fortnight after the footballers’ exit. He wanted Hayes on board. A decision now had to be made. That there was a decision at all is testament to Hayes and his self-development. This was someone who had never played minor for Cork - in either code.

Coming off back-to-back U20 hurling All-Irelands, the county was awash with emerging forwards. Why did Ryan go after the 6'4" Cork senior footballer?

“When we got involved with the U20s, I had seen Brian play against my own club, Sars, in a minor championship match. He was raw, a big strong fella,” the Cork manager recalled this week.

Brian Hayes celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Kilkenny and Clare at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile

“We brought him in towards the end of the Covid year and he just had something different. He just had a bit of size, his length. We knew there was something in him.

“We had a bit of success in the U20s and then obviously he became good friends with a lot of the lads within that group. And he had a fantastic year with the Barrs in 2022 (Hayes top-scored from play with 4-16 on their run to county glory).

“I had a good relationship with him and he felt that there was a great opportunity for him there.” Within the club, there was an assumption the son of 1990 All-Ireland SFC winner Paddy would stay with the footballers.

Sean McCarthy was chairman of the Barrs Street League and Barrs Óg when Hayes was coming through. Locally, he remembers “some surprise, but not huge surprise” at Hayes’ decision to switch codes for the 2023 season.

“He was hurling and football all the way up, and some people would have argued he was more gifted in football, but he was a really good hurler too and that's no surprise given the Cunningham blood (Brian’s mam, Valerie, is a sister of Ger Cunningham).

“He was half-back when we won the U14 Féile hurling in 2015, something the club hadn’t won in a long time. It was a year or two after that he migrated to the forwards.” 

Never more than a used sub during the 2023 Munster round-robin, Hayes had to bide his time. His first championship start was the Round 2 visit of Clare three months ago. The ball did not hop for him that afternoon.

While he assisted for two first-half points, he was twice beaten to possession by Adam Hogan, fouled him in another instance, and was blocked by Conor Cleary when taking aim for a score. He had only one second-half touch and was whipped on 59 minutes.

Ryan retained faith in him and retained him on the starting team. It was trust repaid. In their season-defining outing against Limerick two weeks later, he broke puck-outs, won puck-outs, won frees, and landed the 75th minute insurance point when collecting a Hoggie free down the South Stand corner and shrugging off Dan Morrissey.

In their second outing against the champions, the Cork footballer-turned-hurler showcased to 82,300 that his decision was the right one.

“I had a quiet pint with Ger (Cunningham) before the semi-final and he did make the point to me, this is exactly the type of stage where Brian could excel. He has the head for this kind of thing,” McCarthy continued.

Brian Hayes celebrates after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Limerick and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Fifteen possessions. 1-4 from play. A second goal disallowed. Assisted a further two points. Man of the match.

“His technical ability was always very good, it's just he wasn't doing enough of it,” his manager remarked. “There was the makings of a really good hurler inside there and, in fairness, Donal O'Rourke has worked very hard with him. But he's getting brilliant coaching in the Barrs as well from his uncle Ger, and Adrian O’Brien was with them when they won the county. He's worked really hard on his game himself.

“Confidence and playing well, your touch comes up, your striking comes up, and your hurling comes up. He's giving us something different all the time.” 

Keith Ricken gave him his first Cork call-up. The all-conquering U20 football campaign of 2019. Hayes wasn’t long turned 18. When Ricken moved up to the senior job, Hayes went with him.

“He is a big, tall handsome man, and he could think the world is his oyster, but he’s incredibly grounded,” began Ricken. “My wife Caroline and son Max were talking about him after the semi-final. The last time they met him was at the 2021 final. 

"Brian spotted Max at Croke Park and walked over to chat, asking how he was getting on in school. Not every young fella at 20 odd years of age would do that. There’s a fierce decency to him.” 

Ricken likens him to another southside dual talent. 

“He has always reminded me of Ray Cummins. He has long hips and this ability to swivel in and out without breaking his long stride, as you saw for the semi-final goal.

“You could go mad that he’s not playing for Cork football, if you were a Cork football fanatic, but the fact you’re a GAA fanatic, I’m delighted that he’s happy doing what he’s doing. He’s hurling well and he’s enjoying it.”