Neil McGee

Neil McGee (born 13 November 1985) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Gaoth Dobhair, the Donegal county team and, formerly, the Ireland international rules football team.

Neil McGee
Personal information
Irish name Niall Mac Aoidh[1]
Sport Gaelic football
Position Full Back
Born (1985-11-13) 13 November 1985
Letterkenny, Ireland
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Club(s)
Years Club
2002–present
 Gaoth Dobhair
Club titles
Donegal titles 3
Ulster titles 1
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
2005–present
 Donegal 174+ (0–0)
Inter-county titles
Ulster titles 5
All-Irelands 1
NFL 1
All Stars 3

From Gweedore in County Donegal, he has won three All Stars, one All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, five Ulster Senior Football Championships and one National Football League with his county, an Ulster Senior Club Football Championship with his club and two International Rules Series with his country.

Playing career

Club

In 2006, his club were back in the final of the Donegal Senior Football Championship. He played as his team won their 14th County Championship in one of the worst Donegal county finals ever.[2]

In 2018 he was on the Gaoth Dobhair team that made those videos in the pub after they won Ulster in which they called out their All-Ireland Semi-Final opponents, Corofin. Corofin did not respond leading many observers to conclude that they were hiding in their wagon and shiteing in a bucket, as alleged by McGee.

Inter-county

Brian McEniff gave McGee his Donegal senior debut against Fermanagh in the 2005 Dr McKenna Cup on 2 January 2005.[3] He played in the 2006 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final at Croke Park.[4]

McGee was part of the Donegal senior team that won the county's first National Football League against Mayo in 2007.[5][6] It was the first piece of silverware the county senior team had lifted since 1992.

In Jim McGuinness's first game in charge of Donegal, a drab 2011 National Football League draw with the perennially underachieving Sligo, McGee pulled a hamstring, was moved to the full-forward line and scored a goal in the latest manifestation of Sligo's notorious inability to succeed. McGee was out injured for four weeks after that game but when he returned he established himself as Donegal's first-choice full-back in the team's march towards the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.[7] Donegal won.[8]

In 2011, McGee won his first All Star award.[9] He added another in 2012.

He also won his first Ulster SFC in 2011.[10] This was followed by his second in 2012.[11] He attended the Football Tour of New York.[12]

In 2013, McGee made his 100th appearance for Donegal in the county's opening National Football League against Kildare at Croke Park, becoming the sixth footballer then playing for the team to reach that mark following Christy Toye, Colm McFadden, Rory Kavanagh, Karl Lacey and McGee's own brother Eamon (they were also the first set of brothers to ever reach 100 Donegal appearances).[3]

He won his third Ulster SFC in 2014.[13]

In 2016, he lost his appeal against the red card and a subsequent two-match ban picked up in the Ulster Championship quarter-final win over Fermanagh.[14]

Two years later, he lost his appeal against the red card he picked up for an alleged knee up the back of an opponent in the Ulster Championship semi-final win over Down.[15] Thus he missed Donegal's 2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship final victory over Fermanagh.[16]

He equalled Colm McFadden's record of 173 appearances for Donegal when he came on as a second half substitute in the final round of the 2019 National Football League, a victory over Kildare.[17] He then broke McFadden's record with his 174th appearance for his county against Meath as a substitute in the final at Croke Park, also won by Donegal.[18][19]

He won his fifth Ulster SFC in 2019.[20]

Inter-provincial

McGee has played for Ulster in the Inter-Provincial Series.[21]

International rules

McGee thrice represented Ireland against Australia in the International Rules Series: in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Ireland won the first two[22][23] and lost the third. According to Eoin Liston, who has worked with any of the Irish teams, McGee was "tailor-made" for international rules football.[24]

Honours
Donegal
Gaoth Dobhair
Ulster
  • Railway Cup: 2012
Ireland
Individual
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References
  1. "Two changes for clash with Roscommon". Donegal News. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. "Gweedore cash in as smash and grab raid sinks Eunan's". Irish Independent. 16 October 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2006.
  3. McNulty, Chris (1 February 2013). "Neil McGee set for 100th game". Donegal News. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  4. "Donegal 0-09 1-09 Armagh". BBC Sport. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2006.
  5. "Donegal win National League title". BBC Sport. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  6. "Donegal achieve historic win - First national league title comes to county after victory over Mayo". Donegal Times. 25 April 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  7. Bogue, Declan (19 September 2012). "McGee primed for hard marking to pass Donegal's final test". The Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  8. "Donegal 2-11 Mayo 0-13". RTÉ Sport. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  9. "Donegal trio named in All Star Football selection". BBC Sport. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  10. "Donegal 1–11 Derry 0-08". RTÉ Sport. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  11. "Ulster Senior Football Final: Donegal 2-18 0-13 Down". BBC Sport. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  12. McNulty, Chris (13 November 2012). "Replacement All-Star for Thompson". Donegal News. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  13. "Donegal reverse 2013 result to claim Ulster football title". The42.ie. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  14. "Neil McGee loses his appeal against Fermanagh red card: The Donegal full back is to sit out two games after 'striking with the arm' ban upheld". The Irish Times. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  15. "McGee red card appeal rejected". Hogan Stand. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  16. Mooney, Francis (24 June 2018). "Energetic Donegal end Fermanagh's Ulster title dream". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  17. Branigan, Peter (24 March 2019). "Murphy masterclass fires Donegal back to top flight". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2019. Neil McGee was introduced to equal the Donegal appearances record of Colm McFadden on 173.
  18. "Record breaking Neil McGee on a memorable night at Croke Park". Highland Radio. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019. The Gaoth Dobhair full back broke the record for Donegal appearances on Saturday as he was launched from the bench in the first half to take to the field for the 174th time in a Donegal shirt…
  19. O'Brien, Kevin (30 March 2019). "Murphy masterclass helps Donegal to Division 2 glory after comeback win over Meath". The42.ie. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  20. Sweeney, Peter (23 June 2019). "Donegal power past Cavan to claim Ulster title". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  21. "Murphy to spearhead Ulster challenge". Hogan Stand. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  22. "Australia 36–80 Ireland". RTÉ Sport. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  23. "Ireland 116–37 Australia". RTÉ Sport. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  24. Craig, Frank (20 July 2019). "'Bomber' expecting a shootout". Donegal News. Retrieved 20 July 2019. 'Look at the heart, strength and the pace he operates at', [Liston] said on the Gaoth Dobhair man. 'He's another born leader [like Michael Murphy]. He's ferociously competitive and to the bitter end. He plays on the edge. He's a supreme footballer. But he has got that little bit of bite to him... Another great lad that[sic] I really enjoyed being in the company of. Any side would love to have that drive at the heart of their defence'.
  25. "Donegal team clean up on Sunday Game Team of the Year". Donegal Daily. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
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