Ross Wherity

Ross Wherity
Personal information
Irish name Ross Ó Fabhartaigh
Sport Gaelic football
Position Left Half Forward
Born Letterkenny, Ireland
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Club(s)
Years Club
2006 – present Naomh Adhamhnáin
Club titles
Donegal titles 2
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
2009–2013
2014–		 Donegal
New York
Inter-county titles
Ulster titles 0
All-Irelands 0
NFL 0
All Stars 0
Ross Wherity
Personal information
Full name Ross Ó Fabhartaigh[1]
Place of birth County Donegal, Ireland
Original team(s) Donegal (Gaelic football)
Height / weight Big/Heavy
Club information
Current club Naomh Adhamhnáin
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
Never None None
International team honours
Never None None
Career highlights

None

Ross Wherity is an Irish sportsperson. A Gaelic footballer with the Naomh Adhamhnáin club, he has been a member of the Donegal inter-county team at under-21, minor and senior levels.

Known for his tendency not to settle with one team (or even one sport), Wherity has also been in Australia to play Australian rules football,[2][3] in Poland as part of an attempt to make it at a major soccer tournament and was last known to be playing Championship football for New York.

Playing career

Club

For his club Wherity has played and scored in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship,[4][5] where his team have progressed as far as the semi-finals.[6] His play for his club has been praised by former Armagh manager Joe Kernan.[7] He was missing after going to Poland for UEFA Euro 2012.[8]

Inter-county

He scored as Donegal won their first Ulster minor title in 10 years at Croke Park in 2006.[9] He also impressed for the Donegal U-21 team.[10]

He scored a goal for the county senior team in the 2009 Dr. McKenna Cup.[11] He was also on the 2010 Dr. McKenna Cup team.[1] Then he disappeared for a while.

He returned to the Donegal team for the 2013 National Football League, immediately thrown into the starting line-up for the opening game against Kildare at Croke Park due to an injury suffered by Mark McHugh. Fouled in the fifth minute, with captain Michael Murphy popping over the resulting free, he then spent the remainder of the game tripping and falling over a lot on his face.[12] He started the next game as well, a home tie against Down, and from the full forward position ended with a final total of one point.[13][14] In the third game of Donegal's league campaign, against Tyrone at Healy Park, he tripped and fell over himself in the opposition penalty area shortly before half-time, just before Donegal captain Michael Murphy was sent off.[15] Minus Murphy for the second half (meaning he was one of Donegal's main attacking threats left on the field of play), he was through on goal at one point but scuffed a shot wide; Donegal lost.[16] In the fourth game of Donegal's league campaign, against Kerry, he was knocked over yet again and another penalty given, which Murphy scored.[17]

Move to New York

In 2013, Wherity absconded from Donegal, fled Ireland and took up residence in Big Apple, New York. Despite expectations that he would return for their Championship meeting with Malin,[18] Wherity disappointed Naomh Adhamhnáin by failing to make it out of the ranch; the round ended with a shock defeat and knock-out for the Eunuchs against their more northerly opponents.[19]

“ You are moving to one of the best cities, the craziest cities in the world. You need football there in your life to keep you sane I think. You're out partying and all that kind of stuff, but to get back down to the hard work it's good to be grounded and have the lads around you. It's a great network as well to have, to be able to rely upon all the boys there. Jobs-wise, it's good for that there as well, contacts in the city, there is a lot of influence within the football. It is a great thing to have.[20] ”

American Vogue chief editor Anna Wintour, once saw Ross perform at an international game and fell in love with his style of play. Now moved over to USA, Wheirty has regular appointments with Mrs Wintour in regards to football style, and continue efforts to improve the style of international football.

Controversy

Prior to the 2013 Allianz NFL Division 1 away fixture against Tyrone[21] there began rumblings on some of the more popular social networks which were believed to have originated from a reliable 'source' on Twitter. A selection of senior Donegal inter-county commentators and analysts were quick to nip the rumours in the bud on various radio shows and podcasts, in an attempt to keep the focus on the potentially telling challenge ahead. But attempts were futile and soon word from the camp was that an unnamed few had their concerns. Jim McGuinness, it was believed, had not been consulted prior to the 'incident'. Radio build-up to the game was dominated by intense speculation, and discussion on team matters were put on hold momentarily. The worst fears were all but confirmed on the night itself. As the team made its way onto the field for their customary pre-match warm-up, there was no doubting it, Ross Wherity had indeed received a hair-cut. Short back and sides with what could only be described as a few remnants of his iconic quiff to remind of what once was.

Ensuing loss aside, all the talk at the post-game press-conference concerned the inevitable 'Quiff Tiff', as it would ultimately become known. A leading spokesperson within the Donegal set-up vehemently denied that there had been any wrongdoing on the behalf of the player, and said "staff were kept in the loop" at all times. It was even suggested that Jim McGuinness himself was instrumental in the undertaking from day one, owing to his unwavering belief in Team Sky Cycling's Sir Dave Brailsford's philosophy of 'the aggregation of marginal gains'.[22] It was believed with the amount of effort, attention, concentration and product needed to maintain his oft discussed hair-'style', and the extra pressure on his back from having to support such a lump, that the only way to bring the player up to inter-county match fitness would be to have the growth removed.

A support group was formed to aid those struggling to deal with this loss. Their conspicuous presence at matches is marked by their increasingly popular tendency to don Jedward-like wigs. It is said that these wigs are worn to represent the sacrifice that all the county players and staff make in their unending pursuit of perfection and success.

Wherity again broke ranks after Donegal's victory over Tyrone in their opening game of the 2013 Championship. He said they were all focusing on the completion of an Ulster SFC three-in-a-row for the first time in the county's history.

“ It has been the talk since I've come into the camp anyway that we would try to get the elusive three in-a-row ”
— Ross Wherity, The Irish News

Jim McGuinness, known for insisting his players focus on each game as it comes, did not comment on this gaffe.[23]

Honours

References

  1. 1 2 "Mc Kenna Cup Panel 2010". Donegal GAA. 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  2. ↑ "New rules set to reduce GAA exports Down Under". Irish Examiner. Thomas Crosbie Holdings. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011. From Flying Start to Titan, McCormack has brought Galway's Ronan Steede and Ross Wherity from Donegal who have been playing for Geelong League club, the Grovedale Tigers.
  3. ↑ Wade, Nick (9 December 2010). "Irish recruit Ross Wherity lands at Grovedale". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  4. ↑ "Round-up of Sunday's club games". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 2 November 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
  5. ↑ "Clonoe 1–8 2–10 St Eunan's". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 November 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
  6. ↑ "Crossmaglen 0–11 0–8 St Eunan's". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 November 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  7. ↑ Kernan, Joe (18 November 2008). "Joe Kernan: Lower the prices GAA, that is just the ticket". The Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 18 November 2008. Rangers came back strongly against St Eunan's when they found themselves 0–6 to 0–2 down and eventually secured their passage into the final although I was most impressed with Rory Kavanagh, David McGinley, Ross Wherity, Kevin Rafferty, John Haran and Conal Dunne in the Donegal champions' line-up.
  8. ↑ "St. Eunan's goals sink Naomh Conaill". Donegal Democrat. Johnston Press. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012. Naomh Conaill also lined out without the injured Eoin Waide, John O'Malley and Dominic Bonner while Eunan's were minus Ross Wherity, who is in Poland for Euro 2012.
  9. ↑ "Second-half surge sees Donegal end long title wait". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. 10 July 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2006.
  10. ↑ "April Fools' date for U21 matches". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  11. ↑ "Sunday's Dr McKenna Cup Round-up". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  12. ↑ "FL1: Kildare tops in absorbing contest". Hogan Stand. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013. Both sides made two changes to their initial line ups as Marty Boyle came in for Paddy McGrath and Ross Wherity replaced Mark McHugh for Donegal and Niall Kelly and Dan Flynn came in for McNally and Eoghan O'Flaherty in the Kildare line up. [...] The sparse crowd had to wait until the fifth minute when Michael Murphy slotted over a free after Ross Wherity was fouled and it was a further four minutes later when the second score of the match came and once again it was from a Murphy free.
  13. ↑ "Donegal 0–12 Down 0–07". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "National Football League: Donegal 0–12 0–7 Down". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "Tyrone 1–13 Donegal 0–12". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  16. ↑ "Tyrone defeat 13-man Donegal in Omagh". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  17. ↑ "National League: Donegal 1–12 0–5 Kerry". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  18. ↑ McNulty, Chris (19 August 2013). "Eunan's to fly New York-bound Wherity in for Championship". Donegal News. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  19. ↑ Ferry, Ryan (20 September 2013). "SFC: Haran to call time with Eunan's". Donegal News. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  20. ↑ Kelly, Niall (3 May 2014). "Donegal's Ross Wherity ready for a different kind of championship in 'crazy' New York: Mayo game is "do or die", says one of the familiar faces on the New York team". The Journal. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "RTÉ".
  22. ↑ "Teamsky".
  23. ↑ "Wherity targets three-in-a-row". Hogan Stand. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
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