Appointed to the post of Donegal senior manager on Halloween night 2014, Rory Gallagher’s tenure ended in a nightmare last weekend.
On Saturday-week last, on the day he celebrated his 38th birthday, Gallagher watched in horror as the jigsaw he’d helped build crumbled before him.
Galway ransacked Donegal in a Round 4A qualifier in Sligo. The scoreline, 4-17 to 0-14, painted a grim picture as Donegal’s season ended with a dismal 15-point defeat that was their second heaviest in the Championship post-war.
That evening as he held court with the media outside the dressing rooms of Markievicz Park, the questions to Gallagher about the future and his own position – considering there was also a nine-point loss to Tyrone in the Ulster semi-final in June – felt inevitable.
But he had the appearance of a man set to fight on.
“Whatever comes, comes,” Gallagher said.
“I’m around long enough now. That’s the nature of it.
“I’m disappointed with today. I’m disappointed with the Tyrone defeat. We didn’t play to the level we wanted, but I knew it was going to be difficult.”
Directly asked whether he expected to be in the position for 2018, Gallagher said: “We’re after coming off a tough day. All we were thinking about was getting over the line and getting another week in the Championship. That’s all the thoughts coming into it.”
Gallagher – previously the assistant manager to Jim McGuinness from 2011 to 2013 – was the Donegal manager for 46 competitive games, his side recording 22 wins, losing 20 and drawing four times.
That record does not include the 2017 Dr McKenna Cup, with Declan Bonner’s Donegal Under-21s competing in the pre-season competition this year.
Gallagher had six McKenna Cup games as manager in 2015 and 2016, winning three and losing three. In the Allianz League, where Donegal retained their Division 1 status in each of the three campaigns, Donegal had 23 games under Gallagher, winning nine, losing 11 and drawing three.
In Championship football, Gallagher guided Donegal to Ulster finals in 2015 and 2016, losing narrowly each time to Monaghan and Tyrone. In total, Gallagher managed Donegal 17 times in the Championship, recording 10 wins, losing six and drawing once.
Gallagher used a total of 63 players in his reign as the Donegal manager, giving debuts to 29 players over the three years.
In this year’s Ulster SFC quarter-final win over Antrim, Gallagher handed out six Championship debuts. The 3-19 scored by Donegal in that win in Ballybofey was the county’s highest Championship tally in 51 years.
The following players were used by Rory Gallagher during his tenure: Peter Boyle, Michael Boyle, Jamie Brennan, Paul Brennan, Micheál Carroll, Eamonn Doherty, Eunan Doherty, Paul Durcan, Corey Gallagher, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Neil Gallagher, Conor Gibbons, Joe Gibbons, Kieran Gillespie, Willie Gillespie, Stephen Griffin, Sean Hensey, Rory Kavanagh, Karl Lacey, Michael Langan Odhrán Mac Niallais, Ryan Malley, Patrick McBrearty, Stephen McBrearty, Ciaran McCaughey, Brendan McCole, Malachy McDermott, Martin McElhinney, Colm McFadden, Gary McFadden, Hugh McFadden, Eamon McGee, Jason McGee, Neil McGee, Ciaran McGinley, Mark Anthony McGinley, Frank McGlynn, Caolan McGonagle, Paddy McGrath, Eoin McHugh, Mark McHugh, Ryan McHugh, Daniel McLaughlin, Leo McLoone, Stephen McMenamin, Dermot Molloy, Cillian Morrisson, Cian Mulligan, Michael Murphy, Jack O’Brien, Darach O’Connor, Ethan O’Donnell, Martin O’Reilly, Conor Parke, Danny Rodgers, Anthony Thompson, Ciaran Thompson, Christy Toye, David Walsh, Declan Walsh, Caolan Ward, Eamonn Ward.
Of those players, Martin O’Reilly played in all bar one of Gallagher’s 46 games in charge – the most of any player.
The Sean MacCumhaills man featured in 45 games of Gallagher’s term. The only time he was absent was for the 2015 Allianz League Division 1 semi-final loss to Cork at Croke Park, where Donegal lost 4-11 to 0-19.
Paddy McGrath missed two games of the 2015 season and played in all others to make a total of 44 appearances. In 2016 and 2017, captain Michael Murphy played in all games, the Glenswilly ace playing in 43 of Gallagher’s 46 games.
Donegal appearances under Rory Gallagher
Martin O’Reilly – 45
Paddy McGrath – 44
Michael Murphy – 43
Frank McGlynn – 40
Martin McElhinney – 39
Ryan McHugh – 39
Patrick McBrearty – 37
Neil McGee – 36
Donegal scored 33-565 (664) since Gallagher’s appointment and conceded 35-613 (718).
Skipper Murphy was Donegal’s top scorer with four goals and 153 points (165), while Patrick McBrearty registered 5-128 (143).
Next in line was Odhrán Mac Niallais. Despite being absent from the panel in 2017, having opted to take time out from inter-county football, the Gaoth Dobhair man hit five goals and 41 points across the 2015 and 2016 campaigns.
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