Quiet optimismaround Monaghan ahead of semi-final

Jury out on which Derry will turn up

It has been a testing season for Monaghan’s senior footballers, but a place in a first Ulster SFC Final since 2021 could be theirs if they can find a way past Derry at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh this Saturday, May 2.

Following a winless league campaign in Division One, Monaghan got a badly-needed boost with a derby victory over Cavan and with senior players returning and the county’s U-20 and minor sides making progress, there is (whisper it) a renewed sense of optimism around.

The question is whether Monaghan will be doing battle with the version of Derry that won two Ulster titles and a National League between 2022 and 2024, or the one that went on a lengthy slump thereafter. The reality is almost certainly that Derry haven’t quite reached the levels they were when going toe to toe with the best teams in the country, but they are still much closer to that high standard than the side that disappeared from the top table.

Ciarán Meenagh’s men rediscovered the winning feeling by coming out on top in six of their last eight games, albeit while spoiling their prospects of a quick return to Division One with a penultimate-round loss to neighbours Louth.

Derry had a dizzying 45 shots in their dominant first-round win over Antrim, and while their efficiency in front of the posts was mixed, they still racked up 2-23 from 10 scorers.

Shane McGuigan continues to lead the way up front for the Oak Leaf County, with 1-51 to his name. But they have provided more support to him in the scoring stakes this season, with Paul Cassidy, Niall Loughlin and Lachlan Murray all tallying more than 30 points so far.

Energy and confidence

Monaghan will have taken energy and confidence from getting back to winning ways at last, but they will be acutely aware they won’t get away with conceding the number of goal chances they afforded Cavan during the second half in St Tiernach’s Park.

Cavan got joy from driving at Monaghan’s defence and pinched a goal off a turnover, which Derry will have been watching wide-eyed, given the proficiency of their running game. With Pádraig McGrogan and Gareth McKinless fit again, they join Conor Doherty in one of the country’s elite half-back lines, while Conor Glass and Brendan Rogers form a formidable midfield partnership. Former Young Footballer of the Year Ethan Doherty can also carry a threat from wing-forward, while Eoin McEvoy, Conor McCluskey and youngster Ruairí Forbes add pace and versatility to the mix.

Conor McCarthy, Killian Lavelle, Bobby McCaul came off the bench last time out for their first appearances of the season, and all three could feature for longer spells come Saturday. With Gary Mohan sidelined, Monaghan may struggle to compete with Glass and Rogers in the pivotal kick-outs battle, so McCaul’s aerial ability could prove to be very important in a tight match.

Dylan Byrne and Stephen Mooney also returned to face Cavan after missing most of the league, with the latter kicking five points from play in what was surely his finest hour in the county senior jersey.

With Ryan McAnespie and Ryan Wylie missing through injury, Rory Beggan was the only one of Monaghan’s five most experienced players to start their championship opener. The other two – Jack McCarron and McCarthy – were brought off the bench to help control the tempo when things became frantic.

At the opposite end when it comes to championship experience, Cameron Dowd and Daragh McElearney strengthened their grasp on a place in the team by showing well against Cavan. Monaghan need to get Mícheál Bannigan and O’Hanlon into one-on-one situations to take their opponents on, and while Derry surely won’t afford Dessie Ward the space he got against the Breffni County, his ability to shoot from distance will also be key.

Monaghan have to prove whether they are truly back on course, but were more clinical in attack in Clones on April 19, running up their highest tally of the season, with a shot-conversion rate of 68.6%, their best in league or championship since the Division Two Final win over Roscommon 13 months ago.

Gabriel Bannigan’s men have lost their last 10 meetings with Division One opponents, but in stark contrast, have won 13 out of 15 against teams operating outside the top tier. The suspicion is Derry may still be a top-flight team in all but name.

On a similar theme to Conor Laverty’s post-match comments after Down ended Donegal’s Ulster three-in-a-row hopes with a shock win in Letterkenny, Gabriel Bannigan feels most pundits have it as a foregone conclusion that Derry will progress from this half of the draw. Speaking after the Cavan game, Bannigan said: “Most people had Derry already in the Ulster final before a ball was even kicked. Time will tell if that is fair analysis or not, but we have to prove that wrong.”

That time is fast approaching.