Preview: Old rivalries restored in SFC semis

Maitiú Monaghan

We’re down to the final four of the Monaghan Senior Football Championship; Scotstown, Clontibret, Inniskeen, and Truagh.

Semi-final Sunday is always a great day in St. Tiernach’s Park. The double header often provides more entertainment than the final, with upsets common and a greater flavour of the talent in the county on offer.

It also attracts many neutral fans from across Monaghan. If you don’t come from a Senior club, chances are you haven’t seen a whole pile of Senior club action.

While Clubbr and clips on social media have increased the platform of the competition, many people still follow the SFC from a distance, without going to games.

That won’t be the case this weekend, with two intriguing semi-finals.

Revenge

David McCague’s Scotstown side have had Inniskeen’s number in recent years. To be fair to the Grattans, Scotstown have had everyone’s number. But such is the nature of relative success, that Inniskeen’s losses to Scotstown tend to have a larger profile, when the stakes are higher.

The sides met earlier this year, in the last round of the group stages. However, both sides had already qualified for the knock-out stages and fielded much-changed sides. Scotstown won the tie, but nobody is reading much into it.

For many, last season was Inniskeen’s big opportunity. They haven’t won the Mick Duffy Cup since 1948, but the Grattans got within touching distance last year, losing out to Scotstown in extra time.

Scotstown were able to summon Monaghan regulars Ryan O’Toole and Conor McCarthy from the bench in that one, with their panel depth proving crucial to win their third title in a row.

But John McEntee’s side are well matched for Scotstown. Andrew Woods is consistently brilliant for the Grattans, and is arriving to the semis in good form, having starred against Blayney in the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, Oisin Monahan, Donal Meegan, Shane Hanratty, and Ciaran McNulty are all dangerous footballers, although Seán Jones did not feature against Blayney- despite being named at wing-forward.

If he’s absent on Sunday, Jones is a major loss for Inniskeen- although the Grattans will still believe that at some stage they will get one over on Scotstown.

David McCague’s side are building nicely, however. Last season they finally cracked the Ulster Club Championship, before losing to Roscommon Champions St. Brigids in the semi-final.

This year they are hoping to go, at least, one better.

Scotstown have coasted along this season, winning the League final against Latton at a canter, and slowly but surely re-introducing their county stars back into the mix.

Rory Beggan is back between the posts. The All Star nominee hadn’t played since Monaghan’s win over Westmeath in June.

As always, there is a star studded line up out the field; Conor McCarthy, Jack McCarron, and Micheál McCarville regularly start for the county team. Kieran and Darren Hughes are still playing some brilliant football, as is Shane Carey. Their young talent is also another year on; Tommy Mallen is playing some excellent football, while Seán Óg McElwaine and Mark McPhillips are exciting prospects for the future.

Excitement

The meeting of Monaghan’s two heavyweights will, understandably, create the most interest. However, there is a lot of excitement about the other semi-final between Clontibret and Truagh.

Brian Greenan’s late goals were pivotal for Clontibret as they carried out a smash and grab win over the Gaels a fortnight ago, coming from seven-points behind to win almost the last kick of the game.

It was a statement win for a side in transition that has bravely put its faith in talented young players. Indeed it was one of them, wing-back Charlie Mone, who kicked the decisive point that sent Clontibret through to the semis.

The quality of Mone, Jack Brady and Darragh Keenan has raised a lot of eyebrows around Monaghan over the course of the Championship, but Clontibret are fielding upwards of eight players who played minor football last season.

Such is the prevalence of the youngsters, that it is easy to overlook the quality and experience they have elsewhere.

Conor McManus is still listed as a player, although he has played no Championship minutes. However Dessie Mone is a vocal presence, Conor Boyle and Killian Lavelle have considerable inter-county experience, while Aaron Carey has broken into the Monaghan side in recent years.

But Truagh should have beaten them!

Mark Counihan’s side were dejected and downcast as they walked off the pitch at O’Neill Park after losing to Clontibret, shell-shocked it seemed that they had somehow lost the game.

Well they rebounded perfectly, returning to the same ground a week later and beating Carrick- a huge scalp for a Truagh team no one was talking about before the year began.

In fact, their new Junior team has received more attention, with their quarter-final against Aghabog postponed last Friday evening, and yet to be played. (See page 94)

That shouldn’t take away from how good Truagh’s first team have been this year. They’ve had injury concerns to key players, rode their luck at times, but are into a semi-final on merit, facing a team they have unfinished business with.

Seán O’Connell has been a revelation for them this season- their top scorer with 3-14 to his name. He’s ably assisted in a quality forward line by Chrissy McKenna, Oran McElligott, Luke H McKenna, and (of course) Gary Mohan.

Big midfielder Darren O’Neill is a blow-in from Clare, and who will be joined by Monaghan man Louis Kelly, who returned for 40 minutes last weekend after a lengthy injury.

Jake McGeough and Lewis McElwaine have also been called up from the Junior’s- McGeough has started the last two games, while Ronan Boyle is rock solid at the back, doing an excellent man marking job on Stephen O’Hanlon last weekend.

Fixtures

Scotstown’s clash with Inniskeen is the first game of this Sunay’s semi-finals, with referee Niall McKenna throwing the ball in at 2pm in St. Tiernach’s Park.

The second game between Clontibret and Truagh throws in at 3.45pm, with Ray Malone in charge.