# 2014 Donegal county football team season

The following is a summary of Donegal county football team's 2014 season.
The 2014 Donegal county football team season was the franchise's 110th season since the County Board's foundation in 1905. The team entered the season looking to improve on their poor 2013 run and return to prominence for the first time since winning Sam Maguire MMXII.
Jim McGuinness returned for his fourth season as the team's manager. Pioneer of the game's revolutionary tactic The System, he entered the season with two Ulster titles (2011, 2012), and added a third this season, before becoming the first manager in team history to lead his team to two All-Ireland Finals.

## Personnel changes

Manager Jim McGuinness installed a new backroom team, consisting of Damian Diver, Paul McGonigle and John Duffy.
Ryan Bradley and Ross Wherity both emigrated after the 2013 season.
Ciaran Bonner and Leon Thompson returned to the panel for the first time since 2009. Christy Toye returned after missing the 2013 season due to illness. Returning also were Thomas McKinley (Naomh Colmcille) and Antoin McFadden — both excluded in the early part of the 2013 season after featuring as part of the 2012 panel. Conor Classon returned to the panel as well.
Hugh McFadden joined the panel after manager McGuinness noticed him during the 2013 Donegal Senior Football Championship. Also joining were Stephen McLaughlin (Malin) and Darach O'Connor.

## Panel

Team as per Donegal v Dublin, 2014 All-Ireland Semi Final, 31 August 2014
| No. | Player | Position | Club |
| 1 | Paul Durcan | Goalkeeper | The Four Masters |
| 2 | Eamon McGee | Right corner back | Gaoth Dobhair |
| 3 | Neil McGee | Full back | Gaoth Dobhair |
| 4 | Paddy McGrath | Left corner back | Ard an Rátha |
| 5 | Anthony Thompson | Right half back | Naomh Conaill |
| 6 | Karl Lacey | Centre back | The Four Masters |
| 7 | Frank McGlynn | Left half back | Glenfin |
| 8 | Neil Gallagher | Midfield | Glenswilly |
| 9 | Odhrán Mac Niallais | Midfield | Gaoth Dobhair |
| 10 | Christy Toye | Right half forward | St Michael's |
| 11 | Leo McLoone | Centre forward | Naomh Conaill |
| 12 | Ryan McHugh | Left half forward | Cill Chartha |
| 13 | Patrick McBrearty | Right corner forward | Cill Chartha |
| 14 | Michael Murphy (c) | Full forward | Glenswilly |
| 15 | Colm McFadden | Left corner forward | St Michael's |
| No. | Player | Position | Club |
| 16 | Michael Boyle | Substitute | Termon |
| 17 | Darach O'Connor | Substitute | Buncrana |
| 18 | David Walsh | Substitute | Naomh Bríd |
| 19 | Declan Walsh | Substitute | Malin |
| 20 | Dermot Molloy | Substitute | Naomh Conaill |
| 21 | Hugh McFadden | Substitute | Na Cealla Beaga |
| 22 | Leon Thompson | Substitute | Naomh Conaill |
| 23 | Luke Keaney | Substitute | The Four Masters |
| 24 | Martin McElhinney | Substitute | St Michael's |
| 25 | Martin O'Reilly | Substitute | Seán MacCumhaill's |
| 26 | Rory Kavanagh | Substitute | St Eunan's |

## Competitions
### National Football League Division 2

Donegal won promotion from Division 2.

#### 2014 Division 2 table

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts | Notes |
| Donegal | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9-97 | 7-67 | +36 | 11 | Advanced to final and promoted to Division 1 for 2015 |
| Monaghan | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3-107 | 3-78 | +29 | 11 | Advanced to final and promoted to Division 1 for 2015 |
| Meath | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9-87 | 8-95 | –5 | 9 |

### Ulster Senior Football Championship

Donegal won the Ulster Championship for a third time in four seasons.
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Tyrone (R) | Tyrone (R) | 2-11 3-11 | | | | | | | | | |
| Down (R) | Down (R) | 3-08 0-12 | Tyrone | Tyrone | 0-14 | | | | | | |
| | | | Monaghan | Monaghan | 1-12 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Monaghan (R) | Monaghan (R) | 0-14 1-18 | | | |
| | | | | | | Armagh (R) | Armagh (R) | 0-14 1-13 | | | |
| | | | Armagh | Armagh | 1-12 | | | | | | |
| | | | Cavan | Cavan | 0-09 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Monaghan | Monaghan | 1-09 |
| | | | | | | | | | Donegal | Donegal | 0-15 |
| | | | Fermanagh | Fermanagh | 3-13 | | | | | | |
| | | | Antrim | Antrim | 2-18 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Antrim | Antrim | 0-12 | | | |
| | | | | | | Donegal | Donegal | 3-16 | | | |
| | | | Derry | Derry | 0-11 | | | | | | |
| | | | Donegal | Donegal | 1-11 | | | | | | |

### All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Donegal reached the All-Ireland Final for the second time in three seasons.

## Management team

* Manager: Jim McGuinness
* Selectors: Damian Diver, John Duffy, Paul McGonigle
* Goalkeeping coach: Pat Shovelin
* Strength and conditioning coach: Paul Fisher

## Awards
### GAA.ie Football Team of the Week

    Included:
* 21 July: Ryan McHugh, Karl Lacey, Odhrán Mac Niallais, Patrick McBrearty

### The Sunday Game Team of the Year

The Sunday Game selected Paul Durcan, Neil McGee, Neil Gallagher, Ryan McHugh and Michael Murphy on its Team of the Year.

### GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year

Ryan McHugh won.

### All Stars

Donegal achieved four All Stars.
| Pos. | Player | Team | Appearances |
| GK | Paul Durcan | Donegal | 2 |
| RCB | Paul Murphy | Kerry | 1 |
| FB | Neil McGee | Donegal | 3 |
| LCB | Keith Higgins | Mayo | 3 |
| RWB | James McCarthy | Dublin | 1 |
| CB | Peter Crowley | Kerry | 1 |
| LWB | Colm Boyle | Mayo | 2 |
| MD | Neil Gallagher | Donegal | 2 |
| MD | David Moran | Kerry | 1 |
| RWF | Paul Flynn | Dublin | 4 |
| CF | Michael Murphy | Donegal | 2 |
| LWF | Diarmuid Connolly | Dublin | 1 |
| RCF | Cillian O'Connor | Mayo | 1 |
| FF | Kieran Donaghy | Kerry | 3 |
| LCF | James O'Donoghue$^{FOTY}$ | Kerry | 2 |

#### County breakdown

* Kerry= 5
* Donegal= 4
* Dublin= 3
* Mayo= 3