Match for Michaela
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| Date | 3 November 2012 | ||||||
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| Venue | Casement Park, Belfast | ||||||
| Referee | Maurice Deegan (Laois) | ||||||
| Attendance | 18,662[1] | ||||||
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.
Background
[edit]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
[edit]Donegal
[edit]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.
- 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
[edit]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]
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Match details
[edit]         Donegal
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References
[edit]- ^ a b "In Brief: Mixed night for O'Brien". Sunday Independent. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d Bogue, Declan (25 October 2012). "GAA Match for Michaela squads announced". The Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ Bogue, Declan (27 October 2012). "GAA stars to turn out for Michaela". The Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^ "Match for Michaela launches". UTV. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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.