View source for Matthew Clancy

{{short description|Irish Gaelic football player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox Gaelic Athletic Association player
|image           =
|name            = Matthew Clancy
|irish           = Maitiú Mac Fhlannchaidh
|nickname        =
|occupation      = Engineer
|birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1982|5|16|df=yes}}
|birth_place     = [[Galway]], [[Ireland]]
|height          = {{convert|1.81|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}
|sport           = Gaelic football
|code            = Football
|county          = Galway
|province        = Connacht
|club            = [[Oughterard GAA|Oughterard]]<br>[[Cuala G.A.A.|Cuala]]
|clyears         = 1999–2012<br>2013–2017
|clposition      = Centre forward
|clapps(points)  =
|clcounty        =
|clprovince      =
|clallireland    =
|colleges        = [[NUI Galway GAA|NUI Galway]]
|sig             = 1
|counties        = [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
|icyears         = 2001–2012
|icposition      = Right half forward
|icapps(points)  =
|icprovince      = 4
|icallireland    = 1
|nfl             = 0
|allstars        = 0
|clupdate        =
|icupdate        =
}}

'''Matthew Clancy''' is a former [[Gaelic footballer]] who played for [[Galway GAA|Galway]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Ian|last=O'Riordan|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/0723/1224251145453.html|title=Galway recall Fitzgerald and Clancy|work=The Irish Times|date=23 July 2009|archiveurl=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/galway-recall-fitzgerald-and-clancy-1.705239|archivedate=6 March 2016}}</ref> He won All-Ireland medals at under-21 and senior level. He plays his club football with Oughterard in [[Galway]].

Clancy won the 2003 [[Sigerson Cup]] while playing for [[NUI Galway GAA|NUI Galway]].

==Career==
===Club===
{{expand section|date=February 2019}}

===College===
Clancy played for [[NUI Galway GAA|NUI Galway]] and the team won the 2003 [[Sigerson Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Alan|last=Foley|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/forward-motion-205348.html|title=Forward motion|work=Irish Examiner|date=25 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117004423/https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/forward-motion-205348.html|url-status=dead|archivedate=17 November 2018|quote=Later that year, he began his studies in Financial Maths and Economics at NUI Galway, winning the All-Ireland Freshers alongside players like Matthew Clancy from Galway, Clare's Mikey O'Dwyer and Mark O'Connell, John Donoghue of Meath and David O'Shaughnessy, a native of Westmeath... "Winning the Sigerson in Cork wasn't something that might've been expected of us at all," McFadden says. "We had Lorcan and Brendan Colleran, Mattie Clancy again and Michael Meehan, who was unreal. Dessie Dolan pulled his hamstring in the quarter-final and missed out but we took in a lad from Mayo, Michéal Keane, who played as a sweeper and was brilliant. They were a good group."}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/county/louth/article/index/67709|title=What a year it was!|work=Hogan Stand|date=20 November 2003|quote="We [Dundalk] then went to NUI Galway [formerly UCG] and put in another great performance against a team that included Matthew Clancy, Michael Meehan and Brendan Colleran of Galway. They also had Dessie Dolan from Westmeath but Dessie missed most of the campaign through injury. When NUI Galway went on to actually win the Sigerson cup out, it put our performance into context.}}</ref>

===Inter-county===
Clancy began his inter-county career in 2001. After a poor start in the Championship, Galway regrouped to progress through the qualifiers in style and get revenge over [[Roscommon GAA|Roscommon]] in the quarter-final. In the semi-final, Galway were second best to Derry for large periods of the game and in the 55th minute, the score was 1–10 to 0–08 in favour of Derry. However, a revival led by Derek Savage saw Galway fight back and in the 66th minute, Matthew struck the haymaker for Derry's chances of victory. He was on the field for just over ten minutes as Bergin's replacement. [[Declan Meehan (Gaelic footballer)|Declan Meehan]] and [[Michael Donnellan (Gaelic footballer)|Michael Donnellan]] wove their way up the right flank, before releasing Savage. He jinked this way and that, creating enough space to allow room for the pass. Clancy drifted unmarked into the space in front of Eoin McCloskey's goal to take it, turned and fired high past the ’keeper. A couple more scores, from a [[Pádraic Joyce]] free and Paul Clancy, made certain the victory and Galway qualified for the All-Ireland final with a 3-point victory, 1–14 to 1–11. Galway went on to win the All-Ireland final that year, outclassing a [[Meath GAA|Meath]] side who had destroyed reigning champions [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] in the other semi-final. The final score was 0–17 to 0-08.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Clancy was also part of Galway's Under-21 All-Ireland success in 2002, defeating [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] by 0–15 to 0-07. Over the next few years, he progressed form his super-sub role into a first choice pick for the Galway set-up, combining his progress with his university studies at Galway. Clancy won 4 Connacht titles, these came in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2008.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

After a few lean years during Peter Forde's time in charge, Galway recovered under a newly appointed manager, [[Liam Sammon]], to become a potential tip for the Sam Maguire Cup. Clancy became an influential presence in the Galway forward line alongside [[Pádraic Joyce]] and [[Michael Meehan (Gaelic footballer)|Michael Meehan]]. He was named Man Of The Match for his performance against Roscommon in the Connacht SFC 1st round in May 2008. He won his fourth Connacht title against Mayo on 13 July and earned a place in the quarter-finals as a result. In the build-up to the quarter-final clash against Kerry, Clancy struggled with injury and despite starting the match, he was taken off midway through the first-half. He came back on in the second half but Kerry ran out 1–21 to 1-16 winners over Galway. He scored 1–05 in the [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2008|2008 Championship]].{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

In 2012, Clancy announced his retirement from inter-county football.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://galwayindependent.com/stories/item/2128/2012-18/Clancy-retires-from-football|title=Clancy retires from football|work=Galway Independent}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Navboxes
|title=Galway Football Squads
|bg=maroon
|fg=white
|list1=
{{Galway Football Team 2001}}
{{Galway Under 21 Football Team 2002}}
{{Galway NFL Team 2004}}
{{Galway NFL Team 2006}}
{{Galway Football Team 2008}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clancy, Matthew}}
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:University of Galway Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Oughterard Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Cuala Gaelic footballers]]