Jack Cahalane ruled out as the Barrs receive Brian Hayes boost

Barrs manager Paudie Murray said Hayes "will feature on Sunday" in the Cork Premier SHC quarter-final against Imokilly

Jack Cahalane has not played in the hurling or football championship since the Barrs' victory over Bride Rovers on August 22. Pic: Jim Coughlan.

Jack Cahalane has been ruled out of St Finbarr's Cork hurling quarter-final against Imokilly this Sunday because of an ongoing hamstring injury.

Cahalane, who was forced off at half-time in the Barrs’ Round 2 group win over Bride Rovers on August 22, has not featured in county championship fare for the Barrs hurlers or Haven footballers either side of that half-hour involvement three weeks ago.

The dual forward sat out all three of Castlehaven’s group games in the Premier Senior Football Championship, while he was similarly marked absent for the Barrs’ opening and closing group fixtures.

There will be no return to action in Sunday’s hurling quarter-final against Imokilly (Midleton, 4.30pm), according to Barrs boss Paudie Murray, who also stated that Brian Hayes will play some part in proceedings, but to what extent remains to be seen.

The same as Cahalane, Hayes did not reappear for the second half of the aforementioned second group game against Bride Rovers. The ankle injury incurred in the opening half at Páirc Uí Rinn kept him out of the hurlers' final round draw with Newcestown, albeit he was sprung in the 58th minute of last Sunday’s final round football group tie against Mallow.

“Brian will feature on Sunday. For how long, I don’t know. That’s where he is at,” said Murray of the 2025 All-Star. “He still hasn't done a full training session, but one would be hoping that he'd be right.” 

Without the influential pair for a Newcestown fixture that very nearly brought their campaign to an end at the group phase, Murray mined deep encouragement from a scoresheet that contained 12 names.

“The way I look at it is if Cork were going out to play Clare, Limerick, or Tipperary without Brian Hayes, they certainly wouldn't be going in as favourites.

“When you are going down to Enniskeane, four miles from Newcestown parish, you learn an awful lot about people's characters, particularly our younger players, and even more so when you are without two players of such importance as Jack and Brian.

“You’re looking at other players having to step up and we had 12 scorers that day which was a really good sign.”