Turnbull first came to prominence as a hurler with St. Francis College in Rochestown. He played in every grade of hurling before eventually joining the college's senior hurling team. On 21 December 2015, Turnbull scored 3-04 for St. Francis College when they defeated Scoil Mhuire gan Smál from Blarney to win the Dr. O'Callaghan Cup.[1]
Douglas
Turnbull joined the Douglas club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. On 21 September 2015, he scored three points from right corner-forward when Douglas defeated Sarsfields by 3-12 to 0-13 to win the Premier 1 MHC title.[2]
Turnbull made his first senior championship appearance on 7 May 2017 when he came on as a substitute in a 0-22 to 0-20 defeat by Cork Institute of Technology.
On 10 September 2017, Turnbull ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a training session with the Douglas under-21 football team.[4] He later said: "I was coming onto a ball and while I was turning, another player came into the back of me. The knee was driven inwards, I heard the pop. I went down and I wasn’t able to walk then. I went about getting the scan done as quick as possible. If anybody told me it was going to be the cruciate, I refused to listen. I probably should have because it made the hearing very hard to take. I was very upset for the next couple of weeks after it but I have to start moving on."[5] Turnbull underwent surgery at the Santry Sports Clinic on 31 October.
Cork
Minor, under-21 and under-20
Turnbull first lined out for Cork as a member of the minor team during the 2016 Munster Championship. He was an unused substitute when Cork exited the championship after a 0-23 to 1-12 defeat by Tipperary at the semi-final stage.[6]
Turnbull was eligible for the minor grade again the following year and made his first appearance on 3 May 2017. He scored ten points, including three frees, in Cork's 1-24 to 0-08 defeat if Waterford.[7] On 9 July, Turnbull scored four points when Cork defeated Clare by 4-21 to 0-16 to win the Munster Championship for the first time since 2008.[8] On 3 September, he was at left corner-forward when Cork faced Galway in the All-Ireland final. Turnbull finished the game as top scorer with 1-07, however, Cork were defeated by 2-17 to 2-15.[9] He finished the championship as top scorer while he was later included at left corner-forward on the inaugural GAA Minor Star Awards Hurling Team of the Year as well as being named GAA Minor Star Hurler of the Year.[10]
On 26 August 2018, Turnbull was named on the Cork under-21 team as a substitute for the All-Ireland final against Tipperary. He was introduced as a 38th-minute substitute for Liam Healy in the 3-13 to 1-16 defeat.[11]
On 3 July 2019, Turnbull made his first appearance for Cork's inaugural under-20 team. He scored four points from right corner-forward in the 1-20 to 0-16 defeat of Limerick.[12] On 23 July 2019, Turnbull scored two points from play when Cork suffered a 3-15 to 2-17 defeat by Tipperary in the Munster final.[13] He was selected at right corner-forward when Cork faced Tipperary for a second time in the All-Ireland final on 24 August 2019. Turnbull top scored for Cork with 0-08, including seven frees, but ended the game on the losing side after a 5-17 to 1-18 defeat.[14]
Senior
Turnbull was added to the Cork senior hurling team for their National Hurling League game against Limerick on 24 February 2019.[15] He remained on the bench throughout and was not included on any of Cork's subsequent league or championship match-day panels.
On 20 December 2019, Turnbull made his first appearance for the Cork senior team when he was selected at left corner-forward for Cork's Munster League game against Kerry. He scored two points from play in the 1-27 to 0-11 victory.[16] Turnbull subsequently made his National League debut on 16 February 2020 when he was introduced as a 60th-minute substitute for Jack O'Connor in a 3-12 to 1-14 defeat of Westmeath.[17] He was later included on Cork's Munster Championship panel and made his debut as a 72nd-minute substitute for Séamus Harnedy in a 1-28 to 1-24 defeat by Waterford.[18]
