Cork minor keeper Rory Twohig: 'We said we'd win the All-Ireland - and we did'

In the aftermath of Cork’s extraordinary Electric Ireland All-Ireland MFC triumph over Tyrone in Newbridge last Sunday, goalkeeper Rory Twohig stood on the pitch trying to process what had just unfolded. 

The noise, the colour, the comeback, the sheer scale of it — it all felt unreal. For a young man who has lived every second of this campaign with intensity, pride and conviction, the moment was overwhelming.

The Rebels recovered from being nine points down to win 2-16 to 1-16.

“It’s hard to sum up, but just unbelievable,” he says. 

“To be honest, I can’t believe we’ve done it. I knew we could do it, but it was just about getting it out. It was probably the best day of my life.” 

Cork’s minors have been defined all season by their resilience and their refusal to panic, but even by their standards, the first half in Newbridge was a slog. Nothing stuck, the wind caused havoc, and even Twohig’s normally reliable left boot deserted him.

“Nothing was going right in the first half,” he admitted. 

“Even the early free didn’t go where it had been going against Derry and Meath. It wasn’t my day for frees. I wasn’t on my game, but that happens. It happened to me last year as well. It’s going to happen to every player.

“Other players stepped up — Tom Whooley, Eoghan Ahern, Joe Miskella — all of the boys stepped up. Every single one of them. That was the main thing.” 

Cork trailed 1-13 to 0-7 at the start of the second half. Tyrone were cruising. Cork were stuck. The hill looked too steep. Then everything changed.

“We said at half-time — we weren’t where we wanted to be,” Twohig explained. 

“We wanted to be ahead. There was a very strong wind and we weren’t moving the ball like we did all year. We were slowing it down.

“Keith Ricken just sat us down and relaxed us. We brought it out in the second half. Maybe the first five minutes weren’t the best for us, but we settled into the game. After that, it was unbelievable.

“If you don’t have self-belief, you’re not going anywhere. At the start of the year we said we were going to try and win the All-Ireland. That was the aim. We aimed for Munster, we aimed for the All-Ireland. And that’s what we did.” 

The turning point came when captain Joe Miskella landed a crucial two-pointer, followed quickly by a goal from Alex O'Herlihy that brought them right back into it as Cork hit 1-5 without reply. Twohig was full of admiration for his skipper.

“Joe stepped up in the right moments,” he said. 

“He’s been a leader all year. He’s our captain for a reason. He steps up all the time in the right moments.

“It was a team effort. The backs were outstanding. We closed up the middle as well as we could. We left it wide open versus Derry, but we changed it and closed it up.” 

And then there were the substitutes — a group Twohig was adamant deserved huge recognition.

“Unbelievable. Alex O’Herlihy was unbelievable when he came on. Everyone gave it everything when they came on. It’s half the game now. You have to finish stronger than you start. It means a lot.” 

Twohig’s free-taking has been one of the stories of Cork’s season — but he was philosophical about the misses in Newbridge.

“I know it wasn’t my day,” he states. 

“I missed a lot of frees, but every player is going to step up at a different point. Just because I missed them, other lads stepped up. 

"I’m just the person kicking the frees — I’m not winning them or doing all the hard work. Joe Miskella and all them were winning the frees, so you have to give credit to them.

“I spend hours and hours practicing. But there’s a lot more pressure on your boots in a final. All you can do is practice. It’s all about confidence. It just wasn’t my day — that happens. We won anyway."