Kyle Hayes in the groove

We’ve become accustomed to seeing Kyle Hayes deliver the goods on All-Ireland hurling final weekend.

Winner of five All-Irelands between 2018 and 2023, Hayes misses out on a finals day appearance at Croke Park for the second successive season following Limerick’s surprise quarter-final defeat to Dublin.

However, the Kildimo-Pallaskenry dual ace nevertheless made it a weekend to remember as a towering midfield display helped his club secure an emphatic 2-17 to 0-7 victory over Ballylanders on Saturday evening in the first round of the Limerick senior football championship.

In incessant rain at Kilmallock, Cathal Downes, Tony McCarthy and Peter Nash were also prominent for the winners, who pulled away impressively in the second half after Jose Azzopardi's last fisted goal gave them a narrow 1-4 to 0-6 interval advantage.