Birthday boy Twomey eyes perfect present

TADHG Twomey is hoping to celebrate his 40th birthday in style. Ideally, double celebrations.

On Sunday, the day he turns 40, he will also line out for Newcestown in the Co-op Superstores Senior A Hurling Championship final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh – and he is hoping for the perfect birthday present. ‘I’ll be 40 on the day of the final so it’s a big milestone. It will be an even better milestone if we win the game,’ the Newcestown attacker nicknamed ‘Badger’ said. ‘The celebrations would be great but it’s just another number at the end of the day. It’s all about the team now and the work we do here for the next week and try and focus on the game and keep things going the way they have been.’

Twomey had reached another milestone in their football semi-final with Newmarket – he made his 150th championship appearance for Newcestown. Unlike his birthday, this was a big surprise. ‘No, I wasn’t aware of it at all,’ he says. ‘They kept that one quiet until after. I’d have to give credit to Jack Meade one of the lads on the team. He did the research throughout the year, I had no idea, to be honest, that it was going to be my 150th appearance, I wouldn’t have even thought of it.’

Twomey made his debut back in 2001 in an intermediate football clash with Carrigaline, putting in a performance that helped cement his place for the next 20 years: ‘I can actually remember that game well enough because it was a scary moment for me, coming up against all the big boys that Carrigaline had those days. ‘I remember I got on alright and played well. I was lucky enough to get picked, it probably surprised me a small bit but I’ve been there ever since and hopefully, I can keep going for another while longer.’

After 22 years of playing for his club, many would wonder what is the secret to Tadhg’s longevity? ‘When you’ve four small kids (Culann 2, Etaine 4, Ailbhe 7, Fiadh 8) and you’re running around after them, you wouldn’t be long getting fit! My wife, Colleen, comes from a GAA family herself, so she’d have no issue with me going to training. Sometimes she’d kick me out the door to go training maybe just to get rid of me! ‘But yeah I think training hard every time you go out, and being able to enjoy it, plays a big part. The craic with the lads, the social side of it, between the experienced lads and the youth, with the few messers in the pack, it’s great to have it. The management too, they're always available and we’d want for nothing with them,’ explained Twomey.

Tadhg Twomey and his son walk across Páirc Uí Chaiomh after the Newcestown great made his 150th club championship appearance recently.

Coming from a club that’s enjoyed so much success in both codes, there’s one game that stands above the rest for Tadhg. ‘The county final win in 2015,’ he says. ‘It was after a tough year in 2014 losing that county final to Ballyhea, we put the heads down and that game stands out a lot. Beating Valley Rovers, and just getting over the line, after losing the year before, was major and definitely the moment that stands out in my career.’

What is it about Newcestown that they are able to operate at such a high-level year after year? ‘I think it’s the backroom staff and all the players, they all back each other,’ says Tadhg. ‘From groundskeepers, to the management, to the players, everyone backs each other, and as I said we want for nothing from the club, anything we want is always there, be it ice baths or food after games, it’s always there for us.’

Tadhg and his clubmates have enjoyed the benefit of having fitness coach Niall McIntyre involved in the setup this year, who he says was ‘a great addition’. ‘We had a meeting at the start of the year, probably because we didn’t go too well last year. He was a great addition. We were up in the muck in January doing a lot of fitness work and like the young fellas and the more senior lads, both bought in together. So there’s a great atmosphere at the moment. We’ve had that little bit of luck that’s part of it as well. The games have come thick and fast but we’ve managed well and in fairness the management have been very organised and on top of things.’

Success is hard to come by at the best of times but having to juggle both codes is no easy feat, especially at a senior level. How do they do it? ‘We started off in the last week of July and we’ve kind of gone from there. I think winning is a habit and once you start, all that kind of keeps going and going and you get momentum. People would be asking us “how come you’re not so tired?” But tiredness is a mental thing if you let that get into your head it would affect you – but we just drive on. ‘All the hard work has paid off up until now, we’re lucky enough to be into two county finals and there are two hurdles left in front of us and hopefully, we can get over those too.’

County finals, even for a club like Newcestown, are precious. Is it easier for Tadhg to embrace it or block out the noise? ‘I like to embrace it because these opportunities don’t come around that often. It’s been eight years now since we’ve been in the county final and your career can be over in the blink of an eye, so you have to embrace these moments. It’s great as well for the schoolkids around the place, they see all the colours and the flags – like, that kind of thing drives people on. So you have to embrace the buzz around the place and what’s going on before it.’

Having played for 20 years and still at the top level, Tadhg cherishes these big moments when they come around. ‘I do appreciate the hard work that has gone into it and all the hard work that the lads have done. The organisation: everything from management to the back room staff, there are a lot of names out there that don’t get noticed. It’s great for the club and a great opportunity for the parish to put ourselves back on the map for another bit.’ As Tadhg laces his boots and takes to the field on Sunday, no matter the result, he’ll head home to Newcestown with at least one thing to celebrate. Hopefully, in his case, he’ll have two.