McGee nears 200th Donegal appearance in 2022, with three close to 100

There are perhaps three people in Donegal jerseys who are in with a chance of joining the ‘100 club’ this year, while Neil McGee is in touching distance of being the first man to ever play 200 times for the county at senior level.

Donegal GAA historian Fr Seán O'Gallchóir has been looking at the numbers and McGee, who is Donegal's highest appearance-holder at 192 having debuted back in 2006, has a chance to hit 200. He has yet to play this year, although manager Declan Bonner confirmed before Christmas the full-back "still has plenty to offer, both here with the group and on that field."

Michael Murphy is currently in fourth place, coming in for his senior bow a year after McGee, and his lining out for Donegal in the McKenna Cup final against Monaghan was his 166th for Donegal.

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It means that he’s now on track to catch and pass two of his 2012 All-Ireland winning colleagues - Frank McGlynn (172) and Colm McFadden (173) - to move in behind McGee.

From the current senior panel, the nearest man to hitting the 100-mark is Hugh McFadden, with 91 appearances.

A cruciate injury picked up in the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Championship last summer deprived Emer Gallagher of her one hundredth appearance in 2021. She currently stands on 99.

Nicole McLaughlin and Katie Herron are on 93 as 2022 begins with Karen Guthrie passing the 150-mark in 2021, while Niamh Hegarty has accumulated 138.

The next Donegal man who will join the 100 club is most likely hurling captain Rónán McDermott from Burt. Three 2022 Conor McGurk Cup appearances took his tally to 97. If all goes well he should reach the 100 during the upcoming National Hurling League, which gets underway for Mickey McCann's panel when London come to Letterkenny on the first weekend in February.

McDermott is in his 12th successive season with the Donegal hurlers, having made his debut when he came on as a sub against Louth in the NHL Division 3 in Letterkenny on April 3, 2011.

If he makes the century he will join fellow Burt-men Joe Boyle (134), Enda McDermott (108) and Niall Campbell (101) on the 21st century Donegal centurion list. Danny Cullen was ahead on 143 at the end of 2021.