Out of frying pan, into the fire for Farney men

Opinion

Colm Shalvey

It looks like a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire as Monaghan prepare to travel to the home of All-Ireland champions Kerry on the back of a heavy NFL defeat at home to Mayo.

Gabriel Bannigan pledged that his team would “fight for every single point” after the third-round loss to Dublin. Monaghan showed no lack of spirit in that game, but they were cut apart on Sunday, particularly in the final quarter, as morale took another hit. Last year’s successful promotion bid was built around an attack-minded approach, which undoubtedly made for great entertainment.

Monaghan have been consistently conceding big scores, however, and it’s impossible to argue that they aren’t too easy to play against at the moment after leaking an eye-watering 3-57 in two home games.

Bannigan repeatedly urged his players to push out in the first half as a wind-assisted Mayo side hunted two-point scores, but they just didn’t get enough heat on their opponents.

Andy Moran has Mayo going after two-pointers and they landed five from outside the arc by half-time on Sunday, with a late brace from Fergal Boland helping transform both teams’ outlooks heading for the dressing rooms. Monaghan would have been relatively content to have clung in until Mayo’s late flourish opened up a double-digits gap between the sides, changing both managers’ interval team-talks.

The rain had poured down and the wind whipped up in the closing stages of that first half, but the conditions soon settled down again. Monaghan could have done with a gale-force wind at their backs, but even that wouldn’t have gone close to quelling the gulf that opened up on a sobering day that ended with the county’s tenth consecutive loss in Division One.

Monaghan, with Moran an influential presence in their camp, were one of the counties who adjusted quickly to the two-point element of the new rules in 2025, but their conversion rate in front of the posts has shrunk in the rarefied air of the top flight. Their shooting efficiency only once dipped below 50% in Division 2 last year, but so far, they have only managed to hit that mark once out of four in the current league campaign.

Monaghan’s accuracy slumped under 40% on Sunday, while a clinical Mayo side got theirs above 70%. In two home matches – partly due to chasing two-pointers in the second half after facing sizeable deficits – Monaghan have converted just three out of 21 attempts from outside the 40-metre arc.

The returning Jack McCarron and debutant Robbie Hanratty both hit the net off the bench for Monaghan during the second half, but the impact sub everyone was talking about was AFL recruit Kobe McDonald, who converted just six possessions into a 1-4 tally, including a two-pointer into the breeze.

Thirty-eight players have now featured for Monaghan this season, with six of those currently out, joining long-term injury absentees Conor McCarthy, Killian Lavelle, Michael Hamill and Bobby McCaul. Rory Beggan’s absence meant Kian Mulligan became the third Monaghan goalkeeper to play in the space of four games, with the Latton youngster joining Truagh defender Ryan Mohan and Castleblayney’s Hanratty in being added to the list of debutants at this level.

Many of Monaghan’s problems – such as the injury list and the gap in physicality against more seasoned teams – simply don’t have overnight solutions, but the players and management will have to dig deep ahead of Sunday’s trek to Killarney.

Kerry didn’t have to produce anything near their best form to beat Dublin at Croke Park last Saturday, but the All-Ireland champions still won an uninspiring encounter by six points. The Dubs have been a pale shadow of their former selves so far this season as Ger Brennan casts the net wide, which suggests that Monaghan’s improved performance at Croke Park should have an asterisk attached.

Winnable games slipped away through cheap goals against Dublin and Roscommon – since when the Rossies have kicked on to take the scalps of Armagh and Galway – but it now looks increasingly difficult to see where Monaghan can pick up points.

It’s a tough place to be for everyone involved, but realistically, keeping the scoreline respectable this weekend would represent progress in terms of slowly regaining confidence. That and getting towards a clean bill of health are essential between now and the end of the league.