Brian Hayes interview: ‘You want to be with the group. It is harder when you are on your own’

It drove them into the streets in search of an encore.

“We got fed upstairs and all of a sudden it was gone past 11.30 and we were still there,” Hayes recalls with a reminiscing smile, the pictures of that 3-28 to 3-26 thriller still swirling around his head. 

“We just didn’t want to go home. It was that buzz; do you know what I mean? We obviously weren’t going out that night either. What do you do?

“Myself, Robbie Cotter and Rob Downey eventually just went for a spin around the city. We went for a pizza and that. The next day at training we were laughing about that photo of Eoin Downey up on someone’s shoulders on the pitch. It was just class, like.” 

That is it. That’s why they do it. That is what everyone is chasing. Unity is their strength and reward. What Brian Hayes enjoys most about the GAA is the fact he gets to do with family and friends beside him. Together this year they did plenty.

The dual talent was nominated for an All-Star after a season that saw him named Man of the Match in their semi-final triumph over Limerick. 

In some ways, it has always been building towards a breakout album like this. His influence was evident on the hits that signalled a new generation of Cork talent was coming.

He scored in two Cork All-Ireland U20 hurling final wins. He captained the U20 footballers to Munster glory. He was the top scorer in the 2022 club hurling championship and subsequently switched from the Cork senior footballers to the hurlers. 

This year his presence in the full-forward line transformed Pat Ryan’s attacking structure. Hayes was the head of the spear.

“It was very tough to make that call, to be honest,” he recalls now. “I kind of stuck to my gut feeling. I had a good year with the footballers in 2022. Even though the season wasn’t as good as we hoped and I’d a few injuries along the way. Towards the end, the Limerick championship game I was due to start but I was sick. Two weeks later we played Dublin in the quarter-final, they beat us well but coming on was a good experience.

“Going into that club season I was hoping to do well with the Barrs in hurling and football. My intention was to go back to football, but we won the hurling title. I was in contact with Pat anyway because we were close from the 20s.

“I suppose I had a bit of confidence in the football setup that I could become a starter. The thing holding me back was starting that process again, bottom of the ladder and working your way up. I just felt like going for it. I’d a good few friends from that U20s team see, 13 or 14 of us who won All-Irelands together.” 

Growing up, St Finbarrs was brimming with shining examples of what he wanted to emulate. 

He remembers watching All-Ireland winners like Michael Shields and Ronan Curran train. He went from idolising Ian Maguire and Damien Cahalane to playing with them for club and county. 

His childhood hero was Patrick Horgan. This year he formed a critical part of the full-forward line with him and Alan Connolly.

That collaboration clicked abruptly. 

Hayes did not start the championship opener against Waterford. The 23-year-old lined out against Clare a week later when they were beaten by two points at home. The unforgiving whirl that is the Munster hurling championship threatened to leave them lost in the wilderness.

“Séamus Harnedy referenced it recently, we could have easily said, ‘that’s that. That’s this year gone.’ But no. We went back training that Monday and had a chat for two hours rather than training. Just basically laying out the plan for the next two weeks. It was like, this is what we will do. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t so be it but there was no looking back and no panic. I mean panic? You don’t really have time to think about it. Games come so fast, then they are gone.

“After we lost to Clare in the Munster championship, some of us thought we were actually out. We went for a few drinks and were talking, this could be a long two weeks if we’ve nothing to play for, but thankfully the way things panned out we were still there.” 

Cork went on to make the most of it. Hayes fired 1-4 as they felled Limerick’s five-in-a-row challenge and set up a decider against Clare. 

It was his first experience of playing in a packed Croke Park. His grandmother can’t watch games live but once she knew the result, she watched it back. He visited her on Monday and was immediately castigated for cursing on national television as he accepted his Man of the Match accolade.

In the countless pre-prepared scenarios, Gary Keegan consistently stressed the importance of staying calm in the big moments. In that semi-final, they had a policy of not looking at the scoreboard for whole portions of the game. Just play. Cork started brightly but found themselves down at half-time. The message was simple: “Go out and give it hammer and tongs for 15 minutes. Don’t worry about the scoreboard. Chasing or holding on. We were confident enough in our own ability, if we go and out play that could be enough.” 

A crushing low followed that high. That All-Ireland final extra-time loss was cruel. He is still processing it; the small margins, how tough it was to take, the resilience they’ve built up that will allow them to bounce back.

“After the final, we were going back on the bus with the team for the meal at the function in the Burlington. Everyone was together. You are with people you want to be with. They all experienced the same thing.

“I actually remember, we dropped all of our stuff to our rooms and I wanted to get back down straight away. You want to be with the group. It is harder when you are on your own. Days after driving the car by yourself and it hits you. Normal life away from it is actually tougher. Spending time together is the main thing after a tough loss like that.

“It is actually the thing I’d be most upset about when we lose with the Barrs. Thankfully we won a couple of years ago but this year and last year… most of my best friends are from the Barrs. The element of not going training with them for another seven months is really tough. I still go out there throughout the year, but you know what I mean. The whole doing it together.

“This was probably my most enjoyable year regardless of how it ended. The year of training, the journey of it, making friends and the bond getting stronger. You love going, that is always a great place to be, it comes easier. Obviously, there are times of the year, going to Mallow in the winter and you don’t want to do it, but the good times make it worth it.

“That is the thing. You can talk all day about the end goal, an All-Ireland medal or whatever, but the reality is if you look after everything else that might come down the line. You have to take it as it comes. 

"Most teams set out their targets for the year and they want to win. You want to win, unless you don’t think you are good enough. For me with Barrs and Cork, you are going in to win it. You want to go all the way, but you want to create memories too.”