Joe Miskella: 'Best day of my life' as Cork dethrone Tyrone in dramatic All-Ireland MFC final

Cork captain Joe Miskella stood on the pitch in Newbridge with a trophy and a dazed smile.

Minutes earlier, the Rebels had overturned a nine-point deficit to dethrone Tyrone and win the Electric Ireland All-Ireland MFC final on Sunday afternoon — a comeback that will live long in Rebel memory. 

For Miskella, the scale of it was still sinking in.

“We came out really slow — the slowest we’ve come out all year,” he said post-match. 

“We went into the dressing room, changed the attitude, and came out popping. It stuck to us. We swung over a few points, got the goal, the tempo changed, and that was it.” 

The turnaround was dramatic. Miskella said belief never wavered.

“It doesn’t feel real. This is the best day of my life, and I’d say the same for the others. We never lost belief. 

“I’d say the breaks turned it. The game just changed for us, fell into our hands. We knew how to play, we knew we were in it, we knew we were the best team on the pitch.” 

Tyrone’s quality was never in doubt. Their early dominance rattled Cork.

“They were scary good,” Miskella admitted. 

“We got a fair fright at the start, but we kept our heads up and kept tipping away.

“We only got six out of twelve kick-outs away in the first half. They put a highlighter on inside the dressing room and we saw the stats — 40 percent opposition kick-out. 

"We targeted that and it worked in our favour. Those scores came from the kick-out and got us over the line.” 

The captain pointed to a burst of scoring as the moment Cork seized control.

“Once we got that 1-5, we knew we had them. We kept going. In fairness, Rory Twohig saved us. His kicking wasn’t on point today — he’s usually like a laser — but he made up for it, no doubt, with his saves.” 

The personal side of the day wasn’t lost on Miskella either. His father John, a 2010 All-Ireland winner, was somewhere in the crowd.

Asked how much he had enjoyed the year, the captain didn’t hesitate.

“It’s the best day of my life. Everyone on the team — all we want to do is play football. We’re hopping for club championship now in a few weeks.” 

For Miskella, the win wasn’t just about medals or moments. It was about a group of players who trusted each other when the game was slipping away, who steadied themselves at half-time, and who produced a final quarter worthy of any Cork minor team that came before them.

“It doesn’t feel real,” he repeated. But the scoreboard in Newbridge told its own story — Cork 2-16, Tyrone 1-16 — and the captain of the All-Ireland champions walked off the field knowing he had led a comeback that will be talked about for years.