Therese O'Callaghan: Cork camogie owes All-Ireland winning boss Matthew Twomey a debt of gratitude 

The Douglas club man saw his panel through testing times before they ultimately ended an All-Ireland wait.

RESPECT: departing Cork manager Matthew Twomey before the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final against Kilkenny at Croke Park. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Is there ever a right time for a manager to step down?

Matthew Twomey led Cork to All-Ireland senior camogie honours a little over four weeks ago. Since then, he kept his counsel on what the future might hold for him. The rumour mill had been gathering pace though since that notable day in Croke Park on August 6.

So now, after two campaigns in charge, and over a decade occupying various other backroom roles, the affable Douglas man has decided to move aside.

Thirteen months ago, Cork lost the showdown by a single point to Kilkenny. He could easily have walked then. After all, the buck always stops with the boss.

And the agony didn’t end there. The Red and White had the worst possible start to 2023, and as a helpless onlooker, he must surely have been wondering where all this was heading for.

One of the low points - and when you look back on it now, they are two worlds apart when you consider what was achieved a short three months later - was a three-point defeat to Waterford in the Munster championship quarter-final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh at the end of April.

It was the first time since the Déise were promoted to senior ranks in 2015, they recorded a win over Cork.

Outside of that glaring statistic, the result came on home soil in front of a Cork crowd who had come in early to watch the Cork/Waterford Munster SHC. Two weeks previous, the Rebels came out on the wrong side of a league final to Galway. Another two weeks before that, and on home turf again they were humbled by the westerns in the final round of the league (albeit Cork were already qualified for the decider).

How much more could management take?

You would have to commend Matthew’s ability to turn Cork’s season around.

No doubt, a lot of soul-searching, and a lot of hard questions were asked of themselves in the dressing room after that Waterford loss.

As a post mortem goes, this had to be one of the bigger ones. Despite another reversal to Galway in the opening round of the championship in early June, there was a feeling Cork were coming good. Being able to dwell on the positives as against the negatives, they sensed they were beginning to turn the corner. There was some good news on their injury front too.

While it was all doom and gloom to those outside of the camp, Matthew could see a glimmer of light appearing at the end of a long tunnel.

The confidence was coming back, and following pessimism aplenty, the disappointments were slowly being put behind them.

They emerged from their group. Just when they were getting back on track, you would forgive him for thinking ‘oh no’, when they were rewarded with a championship assignment against a déjá-vu line-up of Kilkenny and Galway in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively.

Having endured so much, Cork were unfazed, and they actually welcomed the challenge. They headed to Croke Park, and returned with a 2-14 to 2-13 victory over champions Kilkenny.

A point difference again, this time they were on the right side.

They went on to end that losing streak against Galway a fortnight later. The rest is history.

On All-Ireland final day, they were champing at the bit and brought joy to so many people. It is hats off to Matthew Twomey, who is a true gentleman to boot. Cork owe him a debt of gratitude. Not alone did he deliver success after a five-year absence, he leaves camogie in such a healthy state.

He had a great relationship with everybody. Not just his players. His capacity to assemble the right people around him speaks volumes for the massive admiration they held for him.

Obvious too was the high regard right-hand men Davy Fitzgerald and Liam Cronin had for him in his two years at the helm. He commanded and gave respect.

His trust was so evident at the Cork ‘meet and greet night’ the week before the All-Ireland final. With so much riding on this final game against Waterford, he allowed all players the freedom to mingle with the fans. He told the media they could interview whoever they wanted. No restrictions. Just asked for fairness and courtesy.

A real vote of confidence from a manager who had come a very long way in such a short few months.