Stephen Lucey
{{Short description|Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=December 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox Gaelic games player
| code = Hurling
| image =
| name = Stephen Lucey
| irish = Stiofán Ó Luasaigh
| fullname = Stephen Lucey
| birth_place = Croom, County Limerick
| feet = 6
| inches = 2
| occupation =
| county = Limerick
| province = Munster
| club = Croom
| clpositionh = Full-back
| clpositionf = Centre-back
| clubs = Croom
| clyears = 1998-present
| clapps(points) =
| clcountyh = 0
| clcountyf = 1 (UCD)
| clprovince =
| clallireland =
| counties = Limerick (H)
Limerick (F)
| icpositionh = Full-back
| icpositionf = Centre-back
| icyears = 1999-2009-2011-2015
2000-2015
| icapps(points) =
| icprovincef = 1
| icprovinceh = 2
| icallirelandh = 2
| icallirelandf = 0
| allstarsf = 0
| allstarsh = 0
| nhl = 1
| nfl = 1
| clupdate =
| icupdate =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|1|4|df=y}}
}}
Stephen Lucey (born 4 January 1980 in Croom, County Limerick) is a former Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Croom{{cite web|url=http://croomgaa.com/history.htm|title=History|access-date=2009-03-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106125228/http://www.croomgaa.com/history.htm|archive-date=2009-01-06|df=}} and was with the Limerick senior inter-county team. He also played football with Limerick.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/ideymhkfkf/ |title=Doherty shuffles Donegal pack February 12, 2009 |work=Irish Examiner |author=Fintan O’Toole and Brendan O’Brien |date=12 February 2009 |accessdate=2009-03-04}}
Playing career
=Club=
=Inter-county=
Lucey first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Limerick under-21 team. He won a Munster title at this level in 2000 before later collecting an All-Ireland medal following a victory over Galway. The following year Lucey won a second set of Munster and All-Ireland under-21 honours, as Limerick completed the second leg of a three-in-a-row. By this stage he had already joined the county senior team, however, Limerick's hurling fortunes were about to take a dramatic downturn. Following the county's victory over Cork in the Munster Championship in 2001 Limerick failed to win a game in the province until their 2007 Munster semi-final victory over Tipperary. This was achieved following a three-game saga, however, Lucey's side later lost the Munster final to Waterford. Limerick later gained revenge by defeating 'the Decies' in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final, setting up an All-Ireland final meeting with Kilkenny on 2 September 2007. In 2009 Lucey, along with 11 others, was dropped from the hurling squad thus ending his 9-year career.
In early 2011 Lucey was recalled to the hurling panel after new Dónal O'Grady was appointed as manager.
Football
Lucey won a Munster Under-21 Football Championship in 2000 {{cite web|url=http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/under21football.html |title=Under 21 Football - Munster Final Winning Teams (1962 - 2008) |access-date=2009-03-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719200959/http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/under21football.html |archive-date=19 July 2008 }} and played in the All Ireland final only to lose out to Tyrone in the final. He won 2 Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship in 2000 and 2001.{{cite web|url=http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/under21hurling.html |title=Under 21 Hurling - Munster Final Winning Teams (1964 - 2008) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719200433/http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/under21hurling.html |archive-date=19 July 2008 }} He played in two Munster Senior Football Championship final only to lose out to Kerry both times. He made a return to the football panel in 2009 and played in another Munster Senior Football Championship final but lost out to Cork by a point. The following year Lucey's bad luck went on as Limerick were once again beaten this time by Kerry in the Munster Final.
Honours
Hurling
- 2 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship 2000 2001
- 2 Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship 2000 2001
- 1 National Hurling League Division 2 2011
- 1 Dublin Under-21 Hurling Championship 2001
Football
- 1 Munster Under-21 Football Championship 2000
- 1 National Football League Division 4 2010
- 1 McGrath Cup 2004
- 1 Dublin Senior Football Championship 2002
Awards
- 1 GPA Hurling Team of the Year 2007
- 1 Munster Hurling Team of the Year 2005
- 1 Munster Football Team of the Year 2004
References
{{Reflist}}
Teams
{{Limerick Under 21 Football Team 2000}}
{{Limerick Under 21 Team 2000}}
{{Limerick Under 21 Team 2001}}
{{Limerick Hurling Team 2006}}
{{Limerick Hurling Team 2007}}
{{Limerick Hurling Team 2009}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucey, Stephen}}
Category:Limerick inter-county hurlers
Category:Croom Gaelic footballers
Category:Limerick inter-county Gaelic footballers