There is more pressure in life than hurling, says Cork star Ethan Twomey

The Rebels face Offaly in a knockout All-Ireland series clash this weekend.

Sat, 15 Jun, 2024 - 08:00

John Fogarty

A line from Ethan Twomey stops you in your tracks.

He’s talking about how Cork were nought for two halfway through the Munster SHC and what the group were feeling.

“It happened in 2022, we lost the first two games and then won the last two games. The pressure was off really, so we just went out and hurled and thankfully got the win.”

If anything, the prospect of going out of the championship in May for the second year running and the wait for the Liam MacCarthy Cup extending to 20 years should have been keeping Cork’s players up at night. So what gives?

As Twomey says, manager Pat Ryan is fundamental to keeping stress in check. His words after the dramatic win over Limerick last month demonstrated how he has been able to put hurling in perspective.

“There were a lot of things going on in my life before,” he said referring to his leukaemia diagnosis in 2018. “Pressure doesn’t matter in these things. We’re pucking a ball around the place.”

Ryan’s philosophical approach has rubbed off on the players. “It’s a game of hurling,” shrugs Twomey. “You’re throwing on the Cork jersey, we all dream of doing it as children. I don’t know if there is massive pressure, really. Pat always talks that there is more pressure in life than hurling and hurling is something you should enjoy and we all enjoy it.

“You give up a lot of time training, playing matches, going to the gym and the game at the end of it that’s what you look forward to. That’s what you wanted as a child. I don’t there is massive pressure in the grand scheme of things. We definitely enjoy playing the matches, the big ones especially like against Limerick and Tipperary.”

Likewise, Cork’s recent history of coming up short in the All-Ireland SHC doesn’t weigh on the 21-year-old’s shoulders nor those of his team-mates, he maintains.

“I was only three years of age when Cork won the All-Ireland in 2005 so I’d say it’s more pub talk than anything, like. We don’t think about it at all, really. We just want to play. To be able to throw on the Cork jersey and play the big games in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Thurles, like, and coming out the right side of them. That’s what you grow up wanting to do.

“There’s more there, we think obviously. I don’t think there is massive pressure and nobody really talks about the gap from Cork (last) winning the All-Ireland. Obviously, you’d be dumb if you didn’t want to achieve that at the end of the day. That’s the goal, obviously.” Having said all that, Twomey admits he was a bag of nerves watching the Limerick-Waterford final round game and hoping they wouldn’t draw and knock Cork out. He watched the game “at home with my Dad and my brothers. We were a bit anxious alright. Waterford got it back to two at one stage.

"You'd be thinking it (the draw) wouldn't happen but you never know, really. Such fine margins, Waterford got a goal in the second half and got it back and we were like 'get the referee to blow it up quick’. A great feeling afterwards. Relief more than anything that you are through.” In his young career, it’s easy for Twomey to rank the win over Limerick in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh last month as the best he has experienced. “They’re the All-Ireland champions, favourites again this year, a star-studded team so it was good to be able to beat them but they went out and won the Munster final in the end.” He admits Patrick Collins’ quick puck-out that put in train Shane Kingston’s attack that won Patrick Horgan’s winning penalty goal was fortunate to be allowed. "Got away with that one, to be fair. The game has gone so fast, the referees are taking scores down in their notepad as the ball is being pucked out.

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“The game is gone to a new level with the speed of the ball and players striking it that bit longer. For the better as well, makes for a higher scoring game.” Suddenly, the world opens up for Cork and there is momentum behind the idea they are genuine challengers to Limerick. Does Twomey believe they are good enough to win an All-Ireland?

"You have to believe in your own ability. I suppose we have a mix of young players and older players and it is transitioning well at the moment. You never really know until you get there and you play a match and training session. I know it's a cliche but training session by training session, we're not looking past Offaly, that's a massive game for us.”

A torn hamstring ruled the St Finbarrs midfielder out from the league win over Offaly as concussion is believed to have sidelined Twomey for this All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Johnny Kelly’s side.

He's wary of what the Joe McDonagh Cup winners might throw at Cork. “They're coming off the back of a massive Joe McDonagh win and the U20s as well. Offaly are thriving at the moment.”