Conor Morrison (Gaelic footballer)

Conor Morrison (born 1995 or 1996)[2][1][3] is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team.

Conor Morrison
Personal information
Sport Gaelic football
Position Corner Back
Born 1995 or 1996 (age 26–27)[1]
Occupation Mechanical engineer[1]
Club(s)
Years Club
201?–
 St Eunan's
Club titles
Donegal titles 1
Colleges(s)
Years College
c. 2020
 DCU
College titles
Sigerson titles 1
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
201?–
 Donegal

Education

Morrison attended St Eunan's College, studying for his Leaving Certificate in 2013–14.[3] He commenced the final year of his engineering degree at Dublin City University (DCU) in 2019, commuting from Dublin for club training.[2]

Morrison played for DCU in the Sigerson Cup, winning the trophy in 2020.[4][5] He completed his degree and qualified as a mechanical engineer later that year, receiving an undergraduate position with Mercury Engineering in Leixlip, County Kildare.[1]

He has a background in athletics and cross country.[1]

Playing career

Club

Morrison won the 2014 Donegal Senior Football Championship with his club.[6][7] He then played against Roslea Shamrocks in the quarter-final and Omagh in the semi-final of the 2014 Ulster Senior Club Football Championship, scoring a point in the latter.[8][9]

Inter-county

Under the management of Rory Gallagher, Morrison was named as a replacement for the 2017 Ulster Senior Football Championship match against Antrim.[10]

Under the management of Declan Bonner, Morrison played the full final of the 2018 Dr McKenna Cup, which Donegal won and ended Tyrone's six-year streak of wins.[11]

Morrison started against Tyrone and Monaghan in the 2018 National Football League, completing both games.[12][13] He also came on as a substitute against Mayo in the same competition.[14] His game-time was limited, first by concussion then by a fractured ankle sustained during a training session following the league game against Kildare (in which he did not play).[15]

Morrison started against Clare and Meath (regular fixture, not the final) in the 2019 National Football League, completing both games.[16][17] He did not feature in any further games, as Donegal won the National Football League Division 2 title.

In April 2019, it was reported that Morrison had left the Donegal panel.[18] He thus missed Donegal's 2019 Ulster Senior Football Championship title win.[19]

He returned to the Donegal senior panel ahead of the 2020 Dr McKenna Cup.[20]

Morrison made one substitute appearance for Donegal in the 2020 National Football League, in the opening fixture against Mayo.[21] Then the COVID-19 pandemic brought play to a halt.

With play resuming locally in August, Morrison sustained another injury while performing for his club at Fintra during the 2020 Donegal Senior Football Championship (Round 3 of the League Stage) and was stretchered from the field of play.[22] He later described the experience as follows: "It was August 16. When I went down, there was a pop and a sort of tear. And you just know. Usually, you get a bang and you think about getting back up. I knew I wasn't getting back up. There was just that amount of pain".[1] On his injuries, he said: "The damage that the MRI disc revealed was… there was cartilage damage, damage to the LCL… Both the LCL and ACL… were ruptured, the MCL… and lateral meniscus were both torn. I'd a fracture to my kneecap, a small tear to the bottom of the hamstring…there was a long list of things really".[1]

This list then became even longer when Morrison discovered he had tested COVID-19 positive on a September Monday night in Santry before a scheduled operation to repair his leg injury. He was asymptomatic and self-isolated in Donegal, then his operation went ahead in October, indicating he was COVID-19 negative at this time (six weeks after the positive test).[1]

Style of play

Donegal senior manager Declan Bonner described Morrison as follows in one of his newspaper columns in 2020: "I've worked with Conor since he was 16, and I don't know if I've ever come across anyone who revels in stopping opposition players more than he does".[23]

After Donegal's exit from the 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, former player Brendan Devenney noted Morrison's earlier departure from the panel as follows: "We don't have a centre half back, we don't have a full-back and we're short an out and out corner-back… Where young Conor Morrison went I'm not sure… We hopefully will have another look at [him]. He looked like a tigerish corner-back".[24]

Honours
Donegal

^ Morrison played the opening two fixtures only.

St Eunan's
DCU

References
  1. Craig, Frank (21 November 2020). "Morrison determined to make swift return". Donegal News. Retrieved 21 November 2020. There was no doubt that the 24-year-old was revelling in that role as man-marking enforcer for his club… 'On the Monday morning I had a Covid test in Santry. That night, I received a text message saying it had come back positive. I'd absolutely no symptoms… I came back to Donegal right away and self isolated for the two weeks. My granddad passed away last year so his house was vacant. My operation was put back six weeks because of all of that. I finally got a cancellation then for October 23… With the athletics and cross country background, the gym and fitness work is something I've no bother getting stuck in to.
  2. Ferry, Ryan (3 October 2019). "St Eunan's are making progress". Donegal News. p. 74. Morrison's age is given as 23.
  3. McNulty, Chris (7 November 2014). "St Eunan's overcome their 'lost generation' as Maxi Curran's 'new team' win Dr Maguire". Donegal News. Retrieved 7 November 2014. After seeing St Eunan's defeat St Michael's in his first League game in charge on March 23, Maxi Curran urged a quick note of caution. Lee McMonagle's goal secured a 1-10 to 0-10 on a day when the black and amber used four players - Oisin Carr, Jordan McBride, Conor Morrison and Michael Miller - who were in their Leaving Certificate year at St Eunan's College.
  4. Keane, Paul (29 January 2020). "DCU's second-half surge propels them to Sigerson glory". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  5. "Morrison, McCole and Curran help DCU waltz to Sigerson Cup Final". 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  6. "St Eunan's recapture Donegal SFC title as pressure finally tells on Glenswilly: Michael Murphy's side dethroned after tight game decided by late scoring burst". The Irish Times. 2 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  7. "St Eunan's champions again in Donegal". RTÉ Sport. 2 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  8. McNulty, Chris (10 November 2014). "St Eunan's 1–9 Roslea 0–6". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  9. "St Enda's almost throw away lead, but battle through to beat St Eunan's: Letterkenny side push for equaliser in the second half, but Omagh club seals the victory with 54th-minute score". The Irish Times. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  10. Doggett, Eamon; Byrne, Cormac (21 May 2017). "Donegal v Antrim as it happened: Updates from the Ulster Football Championship - The sides clash at MacCumhaill Park at 4pm today". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  11. "Donegal end Tyrone's long reign in McKenna Cup final". RTÉ Sport. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  12. Bogue, Declan (10 March 2018). "Two-goal Tyrone move closer to safety with big win over Donegal in Omagh". The42.ie. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  13. Graham, John (18 March 2018). "Monaghan ease past relegation-threatened Donegal". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  14. Gannon, Colm (25 March 2018). "Donegal were on course to stay up in Division 1 but Mayo hit the last three scores of the game to draw the game". The42.ie. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  15. "Blow for Donegal as Morrison picks up ankle injury". Donegal News. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  16. Lynch, Derrick (27 January 2019). "Missing a host of regulars, Donegal come away from Clare with victory". The42.ie. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  17. Campbell, Peter (2 February 2019). "Fortuitous goal sees Donegal come back to beat Meath". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  18. McNulty, Chris (15 April 2019). "Martin O'Reilly withdraws from Donegal squad". Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  19. Sweeney, Peter (23 June 2019). "Donegal power past Cavan to claim Ulster title". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  20. Ferry, Ryan (28 November 2019). "Bonner boosted by young guns return". Donegal News. p. 80. Conor Morrison (St Eunan's) played in the first six games last season before opting to leave the squad in March, but the tigerish corner-back will be in the mix again next term.
  21. "FL1: Durcan delivers late as Mayo hold Donegal". Hogan Stand. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  22. Foley, Alan (16 August 2020). "Morrison injury puts a damper on St Eunan's win in Killybegs". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  23. Bonner, Declan (3 September 2020). "No surprises are expected in senior quarter-finals". Donegal News. p. 63.
  24. Craig, Frank (9 August 2019). "Flat Donegal hard to figure - Devenney". Donegal News. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
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