Numbers paint a picture of Brian Hayes as hurling's most rounded forward

On the first anniversary of his breakout match, Hayes heads back to Croke Park as Cork’s top scorer from play and a near certainty for his first All-Star gong

Brian Hayes of Cork in action against Michael Breen of Tipperary during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 2 match between Cork and Tipperary at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The one-year anniversary approaches. His coming-of-age performance. His announcement. His authority and sheer awesomeness ever since.

On the eve of last year’s All-Ireland semi-finals weekend, Seánie McGrath wrote on these pages that the Cork-Limerick fixture would be decided, in large part, by the forward that goes beyond, the forward that goes “ballistic and catches fire”.