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Nationality: | Irish |
| Date/place of birth: | 4 April 1991/Barna, Galway | |
| Position: | Goalkeeper | |
| Height: | 6ft | |
| Nickname: | To follow | |
| Honours: | None | |
| Ex-clubs: | Knocknacarra, Salthill Devon, Galway United, Mervue United | |
| Joined: | Friday 27 January 2012 | |
| Joined from: | Mervue United | |
| Signed by: | Seán McCaffrey | |
| Club debut: | v Crumlin United (A), 19 March 2012 | |
| First club goal: | None |
Ger Hanley (born: 4 April 1991) is a goalkeeper who signed for Dundalk on Friday 27 January, having been an almost ever-present with Mervue United over the previous two seasons.
A highly regarded young stopper, Hanley played with Knocknacarra in his native Galway before joining Salthill Devon.
In 2007, he won the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the U17 Ford Motor Park Cup while playing for Devon’s U16s in the Umbro Galway Cup, where Greg Cunningham was a winner of a similar award 12 months earlier.
In June 2008, he signed for Galway United, and spent the following season under ex-Dundalk boss Ian Foster at Terryland Park, where he was understudy to Barry Ryan.
In 2010, Hanley moved to Mervue and quickly made the No1 position his own, making 54 appearances over two years in the First Division.
The 20-year-old has been capped at U15, U16, U17, U18, U19, U21 and schools level by the Republic of Ireland, after making his international debut in a double-header friendly against the Netherlands in December 2005.
Prior to that, he had played in the Galway team that finished third in the 2005 Kennedy Cup.
In 2007, he became Seán McCaffrey’s first-choice ‘keeper in the U17 setup with superb performances in both the first and Elite phase of the UEFA European U17 Championship, his outstanding save against Portugal in the final game of the Elite phase helping to ensure Ireland’s qualification for the final.
At the finals in Turkey, in May 2008, he played against France, Switzerland and Spain.
His performances throughout that season earned him a nomination for Irish U17 International Player of the Year, which was eventually won by then Blackburn Rovers winger Aaron Doran.
In May 2009, Hanley played a key role as the Barna native helped the ‘Bish’ Senior Schools win the FAI Senior Colleges Cup.
In May 2010, he was part of the same U19 squad as former Dundalk winger Daniel Kearns, and he produced heroics to help Ireland defeat then reigning European champions Ukraine 1-0.
The following November, he was included in the Ireland U21 home-based squad by Noel King for a friendly against the Irish amateur side, with the youngster again called up to face the same opposition in February 2011.
Last season, he helped Mervue achieve their best finish since entering the league in 2009.
On 19 March, he made his Dundalk debut when starting against Crumlin United in the Leinster Senior Cup Fourth Round in Dublin.
| 2012 | Apps (Starts) | Goals |
| Overall | 2 (2) | 0 |
| League | 0 (0) | 0 |
| FAI Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| League Cup | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Leinster Senior Cup | 1 (1) | 0 |
| All-Time | Apps (Starts) | Goals |
| Overall | 2 (2) | 0 |
| League | 0 (0) | 0 |
| FAI Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| League Cup | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Leinster Senior Cup | 1 (1) | 0 |
Profile last updated: 23 April 2012
