Teddy O'Donovan had a key role in Cork’s camogie success

AS news of Cork manager Matthew Twomey’s decision to step away circulated in September, a key member of his backroom team also quietly stepped aside.

After nine seasons over a 10-year spell as Cork’s goalkeeping coach, Teddy O’Donovan called time on his stint with the Rebels. Wanting to go out on a winning note, he stayed until that goal was achieved.

“I took a break after 2019, so I wasn’t there in 2020 and then Matthew came back into the fold in 2021 and he asked me if I’d go again.

“Matthew originally went in as coach in 2014 and he asked me if I’d go in and coach Aoife Murray.

“It just snowballed from there. We won 2014, 2015, lost 2016, won again 2017 and 2018 and I’d said, ‘right, time to stop here’.

“And I didn’t! And ’19, then it didn’t go right, and I was saying to myself ‘you made a mistake here, you should have left’.

And I said, if you get another bite of the cherry, go out after a win.”

It took five years from that 2018 triumph before Cork won again. He has seen significant change during his tenure.

“Huge, but when you go to the calibre of someone like Aoife, she just brought goalkeeping to a whole new level.

“We’d often pick at things. Aoife changed the whole structure of goalkeeping in camogie, so it’s great when you’re going down and dealing with the likes of that.”

SPARK

Did he feel daunted coaching the brilliant Aoife Murray?

“I remember when Matthew asked me, I said ‘leave it with me’. I knew of Aoife obviously yet when I looked, loads of All-Irelands, loads of All-Stars.

“I asked Matthew what the problem was, and he said that she had surgery on her back and needed to be trained because she doesn’t know how far she can go with it.

“So, I said I’d meet her. We got on like a house on fire. You’d have times that I could kick off, she could kick off and we’d say, right we need to start again.

“There was never major words between us, but there was always the stare,’’ he laughs.

“I’d give her the stare; she’d give me one and we each knew. But she appreciated and I appreciated, and we worked well.

“We could go from fun to switching on the game face. Aoife set standards, ferocious standards and those standards have stood with us the whole way through.

“Even this year we all still spoke of our standards and keeping them.”

Of the five titles Cork won during O’Donovan’s involvement, which one meant the most?

“Definitely this year. On the basis of 2014, 2015 you probably had 10 phenomenal players on that team.

“2017 and 18 they were last-gasp points, where we snatched it. But definitely this year after losing 2021, 2022 and going to such a low in the Munster championship.

“We set our stalls then. We had a chat that day and the way we progressed to get the job done.

“And then to beat Kilkenny, good, to beat Galway, fine, but we still had a job to do. The All-Ireland final was brilliant, but I thought of those three games, each one was a final.”

Will he miss it?

“I will, definitely you’d miss the banter. Matthew wanted to create that environment where you have to enjoy it.

“So, I’ll miss that, but what I won’t miss is on the Tuesday and Thursday leaving home at half seven in the morning and not getting home until 10 that night.

“We’d meet at 6.10pm for a meeting, analysis, whatever, but I’d be out there with the keepers at 5.15pm. Our training starts after the meeting. So, they’re long days. 

I will miss the crack. But I’ll still be in touch with them as I am with Aoife."

As regards his longevity with Cork camogie O’Donovan is clear.

“I have to thank my wife, Catherine. Going back to 2014, Killian would have been 13, Conor 11 so she was looking after them, driving them everywhere, they were on the go constantly.

“The All-Ireland weekend was September from 2014 to 2018, the same weekend as Catherine’s birthday, so I spent five years away for her birthday in Dublin.

“The boys are older now, so Catherine was there this year on the Sunday night and on Monday and Tuesday with us and she loved it.”

As for the future of Cork camogie, O’Donovan is clear.

“Matthew’s major thing was once he steps away, he’s after leaving the team in a good place.”

That’s a goal achieved with O’Donovan having played a major part.