TADGH Twomey hopes Newcestown can become a force to shake up the Big Three in Cork club football – but he knows the real challenge is performing season after season.

The emergence of Newcestown footballers was one of the stories of this season’s premier senior championship.

Jim O’Sullivan’s men topped their group with wins against Valley Rovers, Mallow and then-reigning champions Castlehaven, took out Carrigaline in a quarter-final before ultimately falling short to Nemo Rangers by just a single point after an extra-time semi-final.

This Newcestown group were oh-so-close to becoming the first from the club to qualify for the top-tier county football final, but just missed out. They led by seven points in the second half of normal time, and even led by three points in extra time, but dream-quashers Nemo still emerged on top, winners by 2-14 to 0-19.

‘It was one of the worst losses I ever felt in a dressing-room,’ Tadgh Twomey reflects – and a man who just celebrated his 42nd birthday has a larger pick of games than most. He has played an astonishing 162 championship games for Newcestown, between football and hurling. ‘We have to take a bit of pride in ourselves from the year but there is also a feeling that we could have gone a bit further,’ he adds, and that tinge of regret can be funnelled into fuel to go again in 2026.

County champions the Barrs, Nemo and Castlehaven have shared the last eight titles, thus pulling ahead of the chasing pack as the Big Three. Contenders have emerged – Clonakilty were beaten finalists in 2021, Douglas and Ballincollig have reached the last four, and Mallow came out of nowhere to make the semi-finals in 2024. But there has been no consistent challenger to rival The Big Three. Can Newcestown emerge as a new force?

‘The driving force will be to take another step in the championship,’ Twomey says. The next natural step is for Newcestown to qualify for a first premier senior football final.

‘But you see how tight this championship is. Mallow were in a semi-final last year but didn’t get out of the group this year – there’s always the chance of that happening.

‘We knew going into every game this season that it was going to be tight, and we worked really hard to get out of those games. The management, to be fair, had everything ready for us. They drove us on, gave us that bit of belief.’

Before a ball was kicked in the championship, Newcestown felt they had a chance of causing a few surprises – and the results followed. They beat Valleys (1-19 to 0-14) and then Mallow (0-19 to 1-13) before the win that made everyone sit up and take notice.

‘That Castlehaven win really stood to us – we’d never beaten them in a championship game at that level, and it gave us huge confidence,’ Twomey notes of the famous 0-12 to 0-10 victory over back-to-back champs in Rossmore.

Tadhg and Colleen celebrate Newcestown's 2023 county senior A football win with their children, Culann, Fíadh, Ailbhe and Étain.

A club renowned for its heart and character has proved it has the skill levels to match, and that should change how Newcestown are viewed.

‘I think we’ve shown that over the last number of years with the players who have been involved underage with Cork. We have very good footballers, and there are probably better footballers coming through now compared to previous years,’ Twomey says.

‘You always hear about Newcestown’s heart, but there are good footballers here too – you could see that in the performances this season. There are some savage footballers there; we proved that this year and the thing is to prove it again and again over the next few years. Hopefully, we can go further in the championship.’

Stealing the headlines in their run to the semi-finals was David Buckley. He finished the campaign as the championship’s second top scorer, just behind Steven Sherlock of the Barrs. Buckley racked up 0-46, including 11 two-pointers between frees and play – one of the stars of the season.

‘You’d know how good a footballer he is if you trained with him. He’d run through a brick wall for you,’ Twomey says.

‘I know he probably didn’t have that bit of luck with Cork but when he’s togged off with Newcestown, he’s a man you have to look up to.

‘I know I’m a lot older than him, but you’d look up to and respect David Buckley. He talks a lot, speaks well before matches and training, gives fellas confidence. We have a lot of young fellas like that, the O’Sullivans, Colm O’Donovan, Gearoid O’Donovan coming back from Dubai.’

Twomey jokes he’s at the other end of the age spectrum, but you wouldn’t think it when watching him in action. Still going strong. Still juggling both football and hurling. Still making an impact. A club man every club wants.

‘I haven’t thought about next year. I need to give some time to the kids and my wife Colleen because they’ve let me away with a lot in these last few years in terms of time for training and matches,’ he says.

‘I won’t think about it until the new year and see if the drive is there again. I want to enjoy Christmas with the kids and Colleen and see what the new year brings.’

Though perhaps he did drop a little clue. ‘It’s the craic that’s there, the competitiveness – that’s hard to walk away from. Also, if the body is good enough, it’s hard to walk away,’ he adds.

While he will wait and see before committing to the cause, Twomey hopes the current football management set-up – led by boss Jim O’Sullivan – will bring the continuity that could backbone their efforts to break the stranglehold of the Big Three.

‘The management, hopefully, will come back again next year,’ Twomey says.

‘Jim O’Sullivan, Niall O’Mahony, Jason Crowley, Mikey Cahill – they’re all Newcestown men. They pulled together really well and brought in Mick Hennessey from Fermoy this year – he fell in love with the area, I think. He brought a lot to us as well.

‘The bunch of lads there now are young, well able to train hard, and there’s no giving out.

‘Hopefully the management will step in again for next season, and if they do it’s up to the players to perform like we did this year,’ he adds.

If Newcestown use this football campaign as base camp for 2026, maybe they will be the breakthrough team the premier senior championship needs.