Connolly and Hayes - goals galore from the southside city slickers

The keys to Cork v Dublin, how it was won

Brian Hayes, right, and Alan Connolly of Cork celebrate after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Cork and Dublin at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

The brief was three key moments, but we make no apologies for the fact that two of the three are key - and unlocking - personnel, rather than key moments.

1: Smashing Connolly

In Cork's three most recent championship games before this evening, Alan Connolly registered just 0-3 and was subbed off in all three. Within that trio of games, he went scoreless on the afternoon of the Munster round-robin rout by Limerick. The scores and the goals had dried up.

Shortly before 8pm, the 23-year-old walked off the Croke Park field with a fourth hat-trick in two seasons and his Cork goal count, across League and championship, hiked to 24.

His 10-week goal famine swung to a green flag feast 11 minutes into this semi-final of Connolly re-emergence. From no goal since April 27 to two in under two-and-a-half minutes.

American football and basketball are the two sports he loves to watch. But going on the one-handed volley-and-smash he superbly executed for that second, we can only surmise that Wimbledon was consumed at some point over the past week. Cork 3-5 to 0-5 clear, after only 14 minutes, and speeding down the motorway to a second consecutive final appearance.

Connolly had the assist for goal number four and was involved also in the sixth. The seventh was the completion of his hat-trick. 3-2 in total.

The Rockies kid is roaring again 

Alan Connolly of Cork scores his side's seventh goal during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Cork and Dublin at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

2: His inside buddy. The southside city-goal slickers.

This very weekend last year, Brian Hayes hit Limerick for 1-4 for his breakout album. The second album has him at the top of the charts.

In the opening 12 minutes alone, he scored 1-1, won the puckout that led to his goal, won a converted free, and assisted for Alan Connolly’s opening major. Hayes, along with Connolly and Declan Dalton, were at the front of the queue in removing all suspense from this semi-final as early as was humanly possible.

Connolly returned the favour for Hayes three minutes before the break, his second and Cork’s fourth major shoving the gap from six out to nine.

5-8 for the championship to date. Add it to his 5-8 from the successful League campaign and 24-year-old Hayes is at 10-18 for the year.

Cork have hit 35 goals in 2025. Hayes, as noted, is responsible for 10 and has assisted 10 more.

3: Dublin regrets

If we were to try and squeeze in a blue moment, it has to be Fergal Whitely rattling Patrick Collins’ crossbar on 20 minutes. Dublin trailed by eight at the time. They were in desperate need of oxygen. Whitely found a gap and charged through. The woodwork denied him and his tribe a narrow path back into contention.

There were other Dublin goal openings in that opening half. The outstanding Seán O’Donoghue, for instance, hooked John Hetherton early doors. Cian O’Sullivan was crowded out at another turn. But Whitely’s was the most clear-cut chance, outside of Cian O’Sullivan’s opener. The crossbar intervened and Dublin rarely interrupted the red wave thereafter.