Very good, but not great

By Michael Hannon

Results

At first glance, an Ulster final appearance and an All-Ireland quarter-final would suggest Monaghan had a strong season. But the results need interrogation. Against Division 1 opposition, their record was poor. They lost seven league games and were relegated. In championship, their wins came against Cavan and Derry, both Division 2 sides, before they drew with Armagh in the Ulster final and lost after extra-time.

The All-Ireland series followed a similar pattern. Monaghan lost to Mayo, beat Roscommon, defeated Westmeath and then lost to Louth. The Roscommon win was the one result where Monaghan beat a team who had finished above them in the league structure. Otherwise, they largely beat the teams they were expected to beat and lost to the teams who, on league form, were ahead of them.

That does not make the season a failure. There was real merit in reaching an Ulster final and an All-Ireland quarter-final after such a demoralising spring. But Monaghan’s championship, while it restored pride, does not quite support the idea of a major breakthrough.

Grade: C

Development of style of play

With the ball, Monaghan looked like a team with a clear idea, particularly when certain players were on the field. Earlier in the year, they kicked through the thirds and got it quickly into forwards like Bobby McCaul and Stephen Mooney. That gave them a directness that made them dangerous.

As the season developed, the style shifted. McCaul picked up an injury, Mooney lost his starting place, Jack McCarron became more prominent, and Conor McCarthy was reintroduced to the half-back line. Monaghan then ran the ball more through the middle third, with less emphasis on kick passing. It was a classic case of cutting your cloth to suit the players available.

It was without the ball that Monaghan failed to develop enough. That was brutally shown against Louth. Monaghan had a spare man for most of the game, yet were unable to affect Louth in terms of pressure on the ball. That was connected to how they defended all year: inviting teams inside the 45 before looking to win turnovers.

Those days are gone. Pressing in the middle third when required is now likely to be one of the major differences between sides who are comfortably Division 1 level and everyone else. Monaghan’s attacking style evolved. Their defensive style did not evolve enough.

Grade: B-

Development of players/panel

There were positives in terms of panel development. Cameron Dowd, Dylan Byrne, Stephen Mooney, Max Maguire and Darragh McElearney all kicked on to become important members of the panel. Some played more than others, but most contributed meaningfully. The spring injury crisis probably accelerated that development. Gabriel Bannigan was forced to play too many developing players at the same time during the league, and the results reflected that.

As the championship went on, it was notable how much performances improved when Monaghan could call again on veterans like Ryan Wylie, Conor McCarthy and Jack McCarron. That says plenty about those players, but also about where the panel still is. The newer players have progressed, but Monaghan remain heavily dependent on the established core.

The middle-career group was encouraging. Andrew Woods, Stephen O’Hanlon and Ryan O’Toole all stepped up, but it is that bracket Monaghan still seem to lack in numbers. The departure of Gary Mohan was disappointing in that context. Presumably linked to a perceived lack of playing time, Mohan falls exactly into the category Monaghan should be retaining: physically mature, experienced enough to push standards, and still young enough to have football ahead of him.

For all the positives, the Rory Beggan-shaped cloud still looms large. Without him, Monaghan are simply not the same team. Next year in Division 2, they may have to countenance playing a few games without the Scotstown netminder, either for long-term development or to prepare for another injury.

Grade: B

Performances

Taken as a whole, Monaghan’s performances were better than their results. That may sound generous after seven straight league defeats, but context matters. Their spring was badly distorted by injuries and absentees. I wrote last week about the Beggan effect, and it is impossible to properly assess Monaghan’s season without acknowledging it.

The league was poor, but Monaghan were not operating with anything close to their best hand. Once championship arrived and more key players became available, the level rose sharply. They were convincing against Cavan, excellent for long stretches against Derry, and produced a superb Ulster final performance against Armagh before losing in extra-time. That game showed their ceiling. They were brave, accurate, tactically smart and carried a serious scoring threat.

The All-Ireland series was more mixed. The Mayo defeat was frustrating because Monaghan had enough good passages to get something from it. The Roscommon performance was probably their best result of the year, while Westmeath were dealt with professionally.

But the Louth quarter-final leaves a mark. Playing against 14 men for so long and failing to squeeze the game was a major black mark. Still, over the full championship, Monaghan produced enough high-level football to justify a B. They were far from flawless, but when their best players were on the field, they looked like a serious team again.

Grade: B

Buy-in from players and supporters

Monaghan’s buy-in was one of the strongest parts of their season. Even when league form was poor, there seemed to be an understanding inside and outside the camp that the spring team was not the team Monaghan hoped to have available in championship. Injuries hurt them badly, but the mood never appeared to collapse. The players stayed positive, management held their nerve, and supporters seemed willing to wait for the championship version of Monaghan. Once Ulster started, the bandwagon rolled. The win over Cavan gave them a foothold. The extra-time victory over Derry gave the season an emotional lift. Pushing Armagh to extra-time in the Ulster final confirmed Monaghan were not simply improving; they were relevant again.

Three home games in the All-Ireland series helped too, giving supporters repeated chances to reconnect with the team. By the quarter-final against Louth, the county was totally behind them.

Grade: A

Consistency

Consistency is the hardest part of Monaghan’s season to grade, because in one sense they were consistent once championship began. They beat Cavan, beat Derry, pushed Armagh to extra-time, responded well after losing to Mayo, then beat Roscommon and Westmeath to reach another quarter-final. That is a respectable body of work.

But the season as a whole was not consistent. The gap between the league version of Monaghan and the championship version was enormous. Injuries, absentees and the Beggan effect explain plenty, but not all of it. Seven league defeats from seven cannot simply be dismissed as bad luck. Monaghan spent the spring fighting fires. By summer, they looked like a team again.

There was also inconsistency within games. At their best, Monaghan were controlled, composed and tactically clever. At their worst, they were too passive without the ball and too dependent on big moments from big players. The Louth game showed that brutally. With an extra man for so long, Monaghan should have squeezed the life out of the contest. Instead, they allowed Louth to keep playing with belief and rhythm.

That is why a C feels fair. Monaghan’s ceiling remains high, but their floor is too low. The challenge now is to make the championship version appear more often, and to develop a defensive approach that gives them more control when games turn.

Grade: C

Overall

All things considered, I would give Monaghan’s season an overall B grade. The league was poor, and the Louth defeat will sting because it felt like an opportunity missed. But Monaghan recovered from a grim spring, reached an Ulster final, won two All-Ireland group games, and made another quarter-final in Croke Park. They developed players, kept the county behind them, and showed that when their best team is close to the field, they remain a serious championship side. It was not a great season, but it was a very good one.

Grade: B