Monaghan v Mayo has ingredients of a classic
Monaghan will bid to put their Ulster final disappointment behind them when they welcome Mayo to Clones this Sunday.
It’s a fourth game of the championship for Monaghan, while Mayo have been stewing for more than a month on their Connacht semi-final loss to Roscommon. Despite a second-half malfunction on that occasion, Mayo have shown glimpses of progress in their first season under former Monaghan coach Andy Moran, particularly in their attacking play.
They have been averaging well over 20 points per game, helped by the two-point threats provided by the likes of Ryan O’Donoghue, Jordan Flynn, Fergal Boland and keeper Rob Hennelly.
Mayo’s year so far has featured some wild fluctuations in form, from crushing wins over Roscommon and Monaghan to heavy defeats to the Rossies and Kerry. Monaghan, meanwhile, have regrouped admirably from a dismal league to put together a run of valiant performances in Ulster.
Having expended so much energy in going to extra-time against both Derry and Armagh, the question is whether Monaghan can drill into those reserves to reach those levels again on Sunday.
Cork and Galway both bounced back from provincial final losses to win qualifiers last weekend, so Monaghan will hope that trend continues.
While their panel is certainly stronger than it was in spring, Monaghan have injury concerns over Dessie Ward and Oisín McGorman, who were both forced off during the Ulster decider, while Louis Kelly misses out with an Achilles problem and Daragh McElearney will be suspended after his red card in the closing stages last time out.
Stephen O’Hanlon, who had a spectacular last 20 minutes of normal time, was one of several Monaghan players who were totally spent by the final whistle. Ryan McAnespie, Ryan Wylie and Gary Mohan should benefit from a couple of weeks of training, but it remains to be seen how much gametime they will see.
Mayo will have had plenty of time to put their Connacht exit in the rearview mirror and to study Monaghan, while Moran’s insight could give them a valuable edge. His teams tend to hunt two-point scores and they were very alive to Monaghan’s long-range shooters back in February. Gabriel Bannigan’s side have found their shooting boots in recent weeks, finding their range from outside the arc 15 times in three games in Ulster, compared to just 12 in seven league outings.
Rory Beggan’s prowess from placed kicks is always a factor, although Mayo will be aware of the benefits of not fouling within his considerable range, with Armagh having restricted him to two attempts in 90-plus minutes, one of which was from close to 60 metres out during extra-time.
Monaghan will have noted the joy Roscommon got from pressing Hennelly’s kick-outs, but Mayo dominated the midfield battle when these teams met last.
Nullifying Bob Tuohy’s influence in that sector will be one of the areas Monaghan need to address, as will getting to grips with wonder-kid Kobe McDonald, who announced himself on the national stage with a dream debut off the bench in Clones.
His fellow U20 Darragh Beirne and Sigerson Cup winner Cian McHale and Darragh Beirne have also made breakthroughs in 2026. Jordan Flynn and Sam Callinan were among the players of the league, while Aidan O’Shea, Paddy Durcan and Conor Loftus and the fit-again Matthew Ruane provide vast amounts of experience.
While Monaghan and Mayo have met regularly in the league in recent years, the counties have only crossed paths once in the All-Ireland SFC. 1-13 was the winning tally on that occasion as Mayo survived a bumpy end to the 2022 first-round qualifier; it seems all but certain that it will take much more than that to win on Sunday between two teams who tend to prioritise attack.
Both sides have wrongs to put right, setting up a clash that has all the ingredients of a classic.