Limerick are still the top team around, we don’t read anything into odds

It’s a measure of Brian Hayes’s imortance to the Cork hurling team that the St Finbarr’s man is the only forward to have started every game so far this year.

Nine appearances across the Allianz HL victory and the opening two Munster SHC games have yielded a tally of 7-12. 

What makes such returns all the more impressive is the fact that, in Cork’s last regular league game, Hayes was forced off with an injury that looked like it might prematurely end his season.

Instead, the prognosis proved to be manageable to the point that the former county footballer was able to line out against Tipperary in the league final. From there, three fine performances earned him the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of The Month Award.