Match for Michaela

Match for Michaela was a Gaelic football match played under floodlights^[2] at Casement Park in Belfast on Saturday 3 November 2012. The match was held in memory of Michaela McAreavey.

Match for Michaela

Donegal Ulster 1–12 2–12
Date	3 November 2012 (2012-11-03)
Venue	Casement Park, Belfast
Referee	Maurice Deegan (Laois)
Attendance	18,662[1]

Background

All-Ireland Senior Champions Donegal played a team comprising players from the rest of Ulster in an event intended to raise funds for The Michaela Foundation.^[3] Match for Michaela was launched on 25 October 2012.^[4]

Match for Michaela marked the first occasion that the Donegal senior football team played since winning the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final on 23 September.^[5] The game took place ahead of a planned redevelopment of Casement Park.^[2]

Team selection

Donegal

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness named a squad featuring six All Stars—Paul Durcan, Frank McGlynn, Karl Lacey, Neil Gallagher, Mark McHugh and Michael Murphy. The position of Lacey, the 2012 All Stars Footballer of the Year,^[5] was in some doubt ahead of the game after he picked up a hamstring injury playing for his club Four Masters.^[2] As the final of the 2012 Donegal Senior Football Championship was the following day, players from the St Eunan's and Naomh Conaill clubs were excused. Among these were Rory Kavanagh, Leo McLoone and Anthony Thompson.

No. Player Position Club 1 Paul Durcan Goalkeeper The Four Masters 2 Paddy McGrath Right corner back Ardara 3 Eamon McGee Full back Gaoth Dobhair 4 Tommy McKinley Left corner back Naomh Colmcille 5 Frank McGlynn Right half back Glenfin 6 Karl Lacey Centre back The Four Masters 7 Declan Walsh Left half back Malin 8 Christy Toye Midfield St Michael's 9 Neil Gallagher Midfield Glenswilly 10 Daniel McLaughlin Centre forward St Michael's 11 Adrian Hanlon Left half forward An Clochán Liath 12 Ryan Bradley Right half forward Buncrana 13 Patrick McBrearty Right corner forward Cill Chartha 14 Michael Murphy (c) Full forward Glenswilly 15 David Walsh Left corner forward Naomh Bríd

No. Player Position Club 16 Michael Boyle Substitute Termon 17 Antoin McFadden Substitute St Michael's 18 Mark McHugh Substitute Cill Chartha 19 Peter Witherow Substitute St Michael's 20 Martin McElhinney Substitute St Michael's 21 Stephen Griffin Substitute St Naul's 22 Barry Dunnion Substitute The Four Masters 23 Martin O'Reilly Substitute Seán MacCumhaill's 24 Gary McFadden Substitute Glenswilly 25 Peter McGee Substitute Gaoth Dobhair

• Manager: Jim McGuinness
• Selectors: Rory Gallagher, Maxi Curran, Pat Shovelin
  • Surgical consultant: Kevin Moran
  • Team doctor: Charlie McManus
  • Team physio: Dermot Simpson
• Backroom team: Physical Therapists: Charlie Molloy, Paul Coyle, Donal Reid, JD.^[6]

Ulster

Ulster manager Joe Kernan named a squad containing at least one player from every county in Ulster, apart from their opponents Donegal. Four players from Tyrone were named in the squad.^[2]

No. Player Position Club 1 Brendan McVeigh Goalkeeper An Ríocht/Down 2 Ryan McCluskey Right corner back Dungannon Swifts/Fermanagh 3 Dan Gordon Full back Loughinisland/Down 4 Chrissy McKaigue Left corner back Slaughtneil/Derry 5 Ciarán McKeever Right half back Cullyhanna/Armagh 6 Darren Hughes (c) Centre back Scotstown/Monaghan 7 James Loughrey Left half back St Brigid's/Antrim 8 Seán Cavanagh Midfield Moy Tír Na nÓg/Tyrone 9 David Gibney Midfield Mountnugent/Cavan 10 Colm Cavanagh Centre forward Moy Tír Na nÓg/Tyrone 11 Mark Poland Left half forward Longstone/Down 12 Joe McMahon Right half forward Omagh St Enda's/Tyrone 13 Martin Penrose Right corner forward Carrickmore St Colmcille's/Tyrone 14 Michael McCann Full forward Cargin/Antrim 15 Conor McManus Left corner forward Clontibret O'Neills/Monaghan

No. Player Position Club 16 Niall Morgan Substitute Edendork St Malachy's/Tyrone 17 Conor Gormley Substitute Carrickmore St Colmcille's/Tyrone 18 Vinny Corey Substitute Clontibret O'Neills/Monaghan 19 Brendan Donaghy Substitute Clonmore Robert Emmet's/Armagh 20 Ambrose Rogers Substitute Longstone/Down 21 Gearóid McKiernan Substitute Swanlinbar St Mary's/Cavan 22 Brendan Coulter Substitute Mayobridge/Down

• Manager: Joe Kernan

Match details

Donegal	1–12 — 2–12	Ulster
	Report

3 November 2012

7.15 p.m. GMT

Casement Park, Belfast

Attendance: 18,662^[1]

Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)

Donegal

References

1. "In Brief: Mixed night for O'Brien". Sunday Independent. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
2. Bogue, Declan (25 October 2012). "GAA Match for Michaela squads announced". The Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
3. Bogue, Declan (27 October 2012). "GAA stars to turn out for Michaela". The Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
4. "Match for Michaela launches". UTV. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
5. "Jim McGuinness names strong Donegal side to compete in Match for Michaela". The Score. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
6. Craig, Frank. "Interview: Keepers deserve their 'Pat' on the back". Ardara. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. As well as Pat, the hospital's surgical consultant, Kevin Moran; team doctor, Charlie McManus and team physio, Dermot Simpson, are all part of McGuinness' backroom team.

External links

• The Michaela Foundation
• In pictures: GAA stars turn out to remember Michaela McAreavey
• Match Video