Monaghan's brave defence

by Jack Madden

On this day of days, Monaghan weren’t to be denied.

In an underage sense, Ravenhill was for them a barren field. On Sunday, as the 2026 Ulster U16 cup winners sang in their post-match huddle of glory, now: ‘Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows’.

Attack wins games and defence wins championships. This side consistently had 30 young men and more training through the most unrelenting Irish winter in recent memory.

On the dressing room walls at their home ground of Rafeenan - where Academy and Virginia were denied - reads: ‘Earn The Right.’

On the battlefield, actions speak louder than words.

And so at the home of Ulster Rugby, it was Conan Murphy’s breakdown steal. It was Nathan McGuinness and Noah Connolly combining to bundle Banbridge’s dangerous left winger into touch.

It was Sean Prunty’s fearless, dominant hit on a man twice his size, acting the nuisance in rucks he had no right to be near.

Or flanker James Brown’s scrag tackle followed closely by an assembly of green and navy to hold Banbridge up on two second half occasions, and force a knock on over the try-line from the County Down outfit’s tighthead prop on a third, when he surely saw his name in lights.

At crucial stages too, there was no nonsense carrying from openside Luke O’Neill, giving Monaghan’s attack some structure.

Scrum-half Prunty appeared earlier than anticipated from the bench, Latton’s hamstrung Donncha Smyth having excelled at outside centre all season. Indeed he was the side’s top points scorer, with another O’Rahilly’s man - captain Rowan Caraher - inside him.

Both Smyth’s prowess from play and his kicking ability were lost as he pulled up, both from the tee and from hand, with responsibility falling on the day to out-half Tadhg Sherry. He wore that burden like a badge of honour.

Brendan Sheerin shuffled seamlessly from nine to a more unfamiliar 13, widely regarded as the toughest place on a rugby pitch to defend. Banbridge’s lethal back three emphasised that point and underlined it. Sheerin was everywhere.

The opening quarter was nervy, a fitting Stuart McCloskey-esque offload from Caraher aside.

Monaghan forced a knock-on five metres from their own try-line just nine minutes in. Heart in mouth was to be a recurring theme in a proper cup final.

Their own best attacking platform came a superb Nathan McGuinness kick chase, Sherry prodding in behind. His winger ate up the ground and Monaghan forced their opponents into touch, but the lineout just didn’t click.

The aforementioned Banbridge left winger soon capitalised on Monaghan’s rearranged centre channels, finding space on the edge to show a clean pair of heels and dot down to break the deadlock. The scoreboard remained at 5-0 in a 30 minute half that flew by.

The half-time team talk from coaches Darren Berry, Dylan Carelton, Iain McGuinness, Calum Madden and Maitiú McArdle may well have made clear not to let the second 30 pass them by.

It was then that Monaghan truly shook themselves out of the shackles. The Monaghan scrum grew and grew, as did full-back Josh McEntee, whose positioning when Banbridge put boot to ball was exemplary. His counter attack was at times dazzling.

But it was the defence. Phase after phase after phase in that second half, it was as though an iron curtain had been drawn centimetres from their own tryline. A second try would have been detrimental, and in truth it looked inevitable.

And yet, the wall remained impenetrable with Monaghan showing consistency and concentration beyond their years.

In Monaghan’s first entry into the opposition 22’ in the entire half, McGuinness looked to be in, if not for a forward pass. Back for the penalty the match referee went.

Number eight Conan Murphy tapped and went. To the surprise of no one, he was not to be stopped. The Monaghan roar was defiant, vastly outnumbering their opposition in the stands of the Affidea Stadium.

James Brown produced a vital steal soon after, and while Sherry’s penalty tailed wide, he showed arguably the biggest character of the lot.

Sherry’s match winning try was bravery on every level, blocking down an attempted Banbridge clearance kick and sauntering past two and three to create the memories of a lifetime.

The restart was fetched by skipper Caraher with all the assurance to say that this was Monaghan’s day. The cup was soon in those safe hands too.

Winger Darragh Clerkin of Emyvale won the Strata Timber Player of Merit award, displaying brilliant sportsmanship off the pitch and physically dominant spells on it.

Not before a series of last ditch attacks came from a defiant and talented Banbridge outfit. McGuinness’ tackles were key on two or three occasions.

Joe Flood and Callum Singleton were central in leading the defence early doors.

Conor McCabe’s physicality was ever present, contrasting with Cillian McAree’s dancing feet. Conan Keenan, Jamie Creighan and James Moore took much needed hunger off the bench. Fiachra Kelly carried at will, with next year’s big name Rhys Roddy unfortunate not to get a run in a difficult last 10 minutes.

A tense affair came to a halt with a knock on where the majority of it had been played, inside the Monaghan 22m line.

As noted, defence wins championships.

When polled months ago on one aspect of their game the squad felt they needed to improve upon, defence was the answer.

Safe to say the hard work has paid off.

Head coach Darren Berry said:“Darragh Tierney was unlucky with knee injury not to make the squad, who had a huge performance in the quarter final. He was a big addition to the coaching crew in Ravenhill. Darren Gillanders joined the coaching crew as a reserve back.

“We had a huge appreciation of the Monaghan crowd. It was a clean, respectful game with no hostility from either side, but very attritional. I am hugely proud of our players and coaching panel. A large crew of lads didn’t make the match day squad but would have played with the same grit and determination.”