The Sunday Game panel praised Cork's tactic that took Kyle Hayes 'out of the game' during their All-Ireland semi-final win over Limerick.
Cork dethroned Limerick and stopped their bid for five All-Ireland titles in a row with a memorable 1-28 to 0-29 victory over their Munster rivals.
Donal Óg Cusack and Shane Dowling agreed on The Sunday Game that the way Cork handled Kyle Hayes had a big bearing in the game.
A hugely influential performer through the year, Hayes was on the periphery of Sunday's game.
Óg Cusack demonstrated how his marker Declan Dalton roved further out the field than usual for Cork's puck-outs, dragging Hayes along with him.
It ended with Hayes having 'no impact' on the game defensively, according to Óg Cusack.
With space consequently in behind him for the likes of Shane Barrett and Alan Connolly to run into, it played into their hands that Hayes was arriving too late to the play.
"Patrick Collins and Declan Dalton had a huge impact in taking Kyle Hayes out of the game," said the former Cork goalkeeper Óg Cusack.
"People wondered why Hayes didn't have a huge impact on it.
"For Collins' first puck-out, Dalton is right out on the half forward position, wanting Hayes to follow him. He dragged Hayes a long way out of his position.
"Time and time again, we see Hayes or one of the Limerick half back line fronting up (to stop runners through the middle) but because of that simple tactic that Cork did, it took him out."
Óg Cusack pointed to Robert Downey's early score as he ran down the heart of the Limerick defence and pointed off the hurl.
He says that usually, Hayes would be there to meet him but due to Cork's tactic of pulling him up the field, Hayes wasn't there in time.
"Hayes has to chase back to get back to where the heart of the action is going on. It made him have no impact on the game defensively.
"That's a huge fillip for Cork because we know how serious a player Hayes is.
There was another example in the second half when Shane Barrett scored a brilliant point along the sideline. The space opened up for him because Hayes had left his position to track Dalton.
The Limerick management eventually moved Hayes to centre back to try get him into the game but the one criticism Óg Cusack has of them is that the change was made too late.
"It was that simple tactic, perfectly executed by Pat Ryan, Patrick Collins and Declan Dalton," said Óg Cusack.
"Hayes eventually got moved into centre back."
"That was when the penny dropped that he was being taken out of the game by the Cork puck-out. If there was to be a criticism of the Limerick line today, they'll be disappointed at how long it took them to do that."
Former Limerick hurler Shane Dowling says Cork worked the same tactic in Páirc Uí Chaoimh when they defeated Limerick in the Munster championship.
"The question was asked of John Kiely after the game and he said they knew it was going to come," said Dowling.
"Waterford did it in the Gaelic Grounds, Clare tried to do it but they didn't do it as good as Cork can do it.
"I don't know whether it was a switch because he (Hayes) wasn't involved in the game or because they wanted to move Declan Hannon out of six out to the wing but Hayes just wasn't in the game at all," added Dowling.
"It was the exact same approach they did a few months ago in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. And with John Kiely and Paul Kinnerk on the line, two very clever people obviously...it's one thing knowing how to do it, it's another thing executing it though," he said, giving the credit to Cork.
