Ger Cafferkey

Ger Cafferkey
Personal information
Irish name Gearóid Mac Eafarcaigh
Sport Gaelic football
Position Full Back
Born (1987-08-05) 5 August 1987 (age 37)
Castlebar, Ireland
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Occupation Engineer[1]
Club(s)
Years Club
2004–
 Ballina Stephenites
Colleges(s)
Years College
 NUI Galway
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
2009–2019
 Mayo 104 (0–0)[1]
Inter-county titles
Connacht titles 6[1]
All-Irelands 0
NFL 1
All Stars 1

Ger Cafferkey (born 5 August 1987) is a former Gaelic footballer who plays for Ballina Stephenites and the Mayo county team.[2]

Playing career

Cafferkey studied at NUI Galway.[3] While there he played for the university team.[4]

Cafferkey played in the 2006 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final loss to Down.[1] He won three Connacht Under-21 Football Championships between 2006 and 2008.[1] He also won an All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship in 2006, while playing at full back.[1] He first played senior championship for his county in 2009 against New York.[1] His first of six Connacht Senior Championship medals followed in his first season.[1]

Cafferkey started at full back in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, which Mayo lost by 0-13 to 2-11 against Donegal.[5][6] Cafferkey also started at full back in the 2013 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final but Mayo lost again, but by a single point, this time to Dublin.

Cafferkey was named in the 2012 All Star football team in the full back position.[1] He was nominated again the following year, though did not win.[1]

Cafferkey sustained a serious hamstring injury in 2016.[1]

Cafferkey announced his retirement from inter-county football via social media on Monday 9 September 2019, having made 104 appearances in league and championship for his county team.[1] Due to his preference for defence he never scored for Mayo in either the league or the championship.[1] His last appearance was against Dublin at Croke Park in the 2019 National Football League, having won the man of the match award in the previous game against Cavan but limping off the field at Croke Park in the first half with one of his customary hamstring injuries, and then having his championship season curtailed by injury. Cafferkey's announcement followed swiftly from a similar one by Andy Moran.[1]

Cafferkey did not seek the media spotlight. He only twice appeared before the media: in 2013 (the league defeat of Kerry) and 2019 (the previously mentioned league game against Cavan) to collect two man of the match awards.[1]

Honours

Team

Individual

  • All Star: 2012,[1] nominated 2013[1]
  • Man of the match: v Kerry in the 2013 NFL and v Cavan in the 2019 NFL[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w McGreal, Edwin (11 September 2019). "Cafferkey latest stalwart to call time on Mayo career". Irish Examiner. p. 6.
  2. ^ "Clarke taking nothing for granted". Hogan Stand. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  3. ^ "NUI Galway students and alumni head for Croke Park with Mayo senior football finalists". 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. The Mayo squad contains a large number of current and former students including Ger Cafferkey, Jason Doherty, Alan Dillon, Conor O'Shea, Shane McHale, Chris Barrett and Cathal Freeman. Former Inter-County star James Nallen, who is a selector with the Mayo side, is a Chief Technical Officer in NUI Galway's School of Physics.
  4. ^ Kelly, Tom (14 January 2009). "Roscommon denied victory as Bradshaw earns NUI Galway a share of the spoils". Westmeath Independent. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Donegal 2-11 0-13 Mayo". BBC Sport. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  6. ^ "Murphy rocket sees Donegal strike gold". Irish Independent. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.