Anthony Thompson (Gaelic footballer)

Anthony Thompson is a Gaelic footballer who plays for Naomh Conaill and, formerly, the Donegal county team.

Anthony Thompson
Personal information
Irish name Antoin Mac Thomáis[1]
Sport Gaelic football
Position Left Half Back
Born (1986-07-24) 24 July 1986
County Donegal
Height 6 ft 0[2] in (1.83 m)
Occupation Student[2]
Club(s)
Years Club
?–
 Naomh Conaill
Club titles
Donegal titles 3
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
2006–2018
 Donegal
Inter-county titles
Ulster titles 4
All-Irelands 1
NFL 1

He plays at wing back.[3]

He won one All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and four Ulster Senior Football Championships with his county.

Playing career

Club

Playing alongside John Gildea in midfield, Thompson scored three points, including two frees, in the final as Naomh Conaill won their first ever Donegal Senior Football Championship in 2005.[4] He was sent off in the final of the 2009 Donegal Senior Football Championship, which his team lost to St Eunan's.[5] His club won the 2010 County Final and went on to reach the final of the 2010 Ulster Senior Club Football Championship, knocking out Cavan champions Kingscourt, Monaghan champions Clontibret and Tyrone champions Coalisland along the way.[6][7]

He played for his club in the final of the 2015 Donegal Senior Football Championship. They won.[8]

Inter-county

Thompson was a member of the Donegal squad that won the 2007 National Football League.[9]

Under the management of Jim McGuinness, and in McGuinness's first season in charge, Thompson won the 2011 Ulster Senior Football Championship, playing and scoring two points in the final against Derry.[10][11] He played again when Donegal returned to the final in 2012.[12] Donegal defeated Down in that game.[13] Normally a quiet member of the team, in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final defeat of Kerry at Croke Park on 5 August 2012, he knocked teammate Patrick McBrearty out of the game with his head.[14] He played in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final against Mayo.[15] Donegal won.[16] Though nominated for an All Star he was not successful, but was selected as a replacement All Star for the Football Tour of New York when others such as Colm McFadden and Frank McGlynn were unable to attend.[17]

Thompson won his third Ulster Senior Football Championship in 2014, scoring one point against Monaghan in the final.[18] He played 52 of the 54 league and championship matches under McGuinness's management, missing only two league games against Cork and Kerry due to injury; only goalkeeper Paul Durcan played in more games under McGuinness.[19]

Under the management of Rory Gallagher, who succeeded McGuinness ahead of the 2015 season, Thompson continued to play for his county. For much of Donegal's 2015 campaign, he commuted from his work base in Essex, England.[20][21] He moved back to Ireland in 2016.[21] His last appearance for Donegal during Gallagher's ill-fated managerial reign was against Dublin in the 2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final defeat at Croke Park, a game in which he scored one point.[21]

Thompson returned to the fore under the management of Declan Bonner.[21][22] He collected his fourth and final Ulster SFC in 2018, appearing as a second half substitute for Odhrán Mac Niallais in the final against Cavan.[23] However, he did not return after the winter.[24]

Style of play

Thompson has been considered by national media to be "an invaluable leader", a "selfless player" and "one of the most iconic number 5s in the county's history".[22]

His virtuoso performance in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was highlighted by The Irish Times which noted how he "seemed to shepherd the play exactly to his liking and moved through the fare in that unhurried, three-quarters pace style of his", at one stage "loitering in front of David Clarke's goal, a de facto full forward doing what good front men do: keeping quiet as a church mouse and waiting to be spotted".[25] Despite playing at wing back, he was the first person to congratulate Michael Murphy following his early goal in that game, having raced through to offer support to his full-forward team captain.[22]

Honours
Donegal
Naomh Conaill
Individual
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References
  1. "Countdown to Croker: Donegal name 'team' for All-Ireland final". Donegal Daily. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  2. "Player profiles: Anthony Thompson". Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. "Thompson set to miss Cork game". Donegal Democrat. Johnston Press. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013. Wing-back Anthony Thompson looks set to miss Donegal's crunch Division One Allianz League clash with Cork in Pairc Ui Rinn on Saturday. (Throw-in 5 pm)
  4. "Historic first title for Naomh Conaill". Irish Independent. 10 October 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2005.
  5. "Two final meetings that shaped strands of history". Donegal Democrat. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  6. "Naomh Conaill's adventure continues with Coalisland test". Donegal Democrat. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  7. Keys, Colm (13 December 2010). "Kernan red card spurs on Cross'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  8. Foley, Alan (19 October 2015). "Gutsy Naomh Conaill edge to glory". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  9. Ferry, Ryan (23 April 2020). "McConigley reflects on 2007 National League success". Donegal News. pp. 52–3.
  10. "Donegal Ulster Champions: Players hail maestro McGuinness". Donegal Daily. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  11. "Donegal 1–11 Derry 0-08". RTÉ Sport. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  12. "Donegal's new style untested in stroll past Derry". Irish Independent. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  13. "Ulster Senior Football Final: Donegal 2-18 0-13 Down". BBC Sport. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  14. Keys, Colm (7 August 2012). "McBrearty shooting for the stars as he commits to Donegal cause". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2012. McBrearty was forced off for treatment in the first half after a collision with colleague Anthony Thompson left him slightly concussed, but he was able to play on. "I'd a wee bit of concussion there. The quietest man on the team hit me! That was the last man I expected to be hitting me. It was just a wee clash of heads and nothing too harmful. I should be alright for three weeks' time," he confirmed.
  15. "Live updates from the All-Ireland finals at Croke Park". RTÉ Sport. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  16. "Donegal 2-11 Mayo 0-13". RTÉ Sport. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  17. McNulty, Chris (13 November 2012). "Replacement All-Star for Thompson". Donegal News. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  18. "Donegal reverse 2013 result to claim Ulster football title". The42.ie. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  19. Whooley, Declan (30 September 2014). "Five unsung football heroes". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  20. Keys, Colm (11 August 2015). "Durcan's Donegal future in doubt as he plans move abroad". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  21. McNulty, Chris (9 March 2018). "Exclusive: 2012 All-Ireland winner to return from Donegal exile". Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  22. Doherty, Conan (2018). "Anthony Thompson returns to Donegal fold". JOE.ie.
  23. Mooney, Francis (24 June 2018). "Energetic Donegal end Fermanagh's Ulster title dream". RTÉ Sport. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  24. McNulty, Chris (15 April 2019). "Martin O'Reilly withdraws from Donegal squad". Retrieved 15 April 2019. 2012 All-Ireland winners Mark McHugh and Anthony Thompson did not return for the county this winter...
  25. Duggan, Keith (29 September 2012). "Fearless Donegal ready to shift axis of power". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  26. "Donegal dominate All-Star football nominations with 12 players selected". RTÉ Sport. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  27. "Seven county players gain Gaelic Life awards". Donegal News. 16 January 2020. p. 73. ... Anthony Thompson, Ciaran Thompson from Naomh Conaill along with Buncrana's Caolan McGonagle were all named on the football team. The Thompsons and Caolan McGonagle were unable to attend the event though their awards were collected in their absence.
  28. "Football Team of the Year 2019".
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