Monaghan dare to dream

WE’VE been waiting long enough for the football championship to take off and maybe we saw it in Salthill at the final whistle of Monaghan’s win over Galway on Saturday night.

Despite being a long way from home, the pitch was invaded by jubilant Monaghan supporters and that was a very welcome sight. Turns out the games do matter after all and it is no harm to be reminded of that fact in what has been a sterile championship to date.

And now we have our romantic storyline to the 2018 football championship – perennial bridesmaids Monaghan. They haven’t appeared in an All-Ireland final in living memory, but are now just 70-odd minutes away. And they have a right chance.

For the record they did play in the 1930 All-Ireland but few alive will remember that game or the result – they lost 3-11 to 0-2.

I well remember when they rattled Kerry in a 1985 semi-final, with players that would become household names as a result like Eamon McEneaney and Ray McCarron, but none more so than ‘Nudie’ Hughes. Nicknames didn’t come any better than that in the bleak 80s!

Kerry, were ambushed that day but shook themselves enough to draw that match and claim the replay by six points. That is just one of 13 times that Monaghan have fallen at the final four stage.

Surely they are due.

This year could do with them in a final. Such an occasion would rescue what has been a poor summer but of course we cannot rely on Tyrone to do the decent thing. The Red Hand’s version of that would be to beat Monaghan and then put Dublin to the sword. And this would be a decent second prize for us all if it came to pass.

Both championships have an air of haste about them this summer, with games flying by in the new condensed formats. This might be an advantage to the Farney County as they only have eight days to get excited about where they are. In the ‘old days’ it would have been close to a month and in that time hype can gather its own momentum.

Momentum

Instead this Sunday their momentum comes from their brilliant display in Pearse Stadium where they were by far the better team right from the start. The Tribesmen, albeit already qualified for the semi-final, lost for the first time in this championship, and at home to boot. Anyone who thinks that Kevin Walsh’s team wanted to lie down to preserve energy for a semi-final or to make sure Kerry were knocked out needs to think again.

The prize for the Connacht champions is the Dubs on Saturday night. So losing to Monaghan has derailed them somewhat.

The manner of Monaghan’s win in Salthill had business written all over it. Going away from home and winning when you have to is worth two wins. Both Monaghan and Tyrone managed that. Their game may be the best of the weekend.

I’d be going with Monaghan based on the discipline they showed in Galway. They defended excellently and moved the ball with intent. It actually wasn’t a bad game to watch!

In Ryan McAnespie they have another potential marquee forward, a useful thing to have around when Conor McManus is being watched like a hawk.

So much of the modern game is based on this term ‘transition’ which is often bandied about by pundits. Apparently it is what happens when you actually get the ball. What it really means is players who can think and move fast make a big difference. It helps if that’s available in your half back line and at midfield because that’s where moves break down as tackles are no longer contemplated in opposing halves.

Fair enough, it’s the way football is played now. It’s no coincidence that the best half back lines and midfields are in the last four of the competition. Karl O’Connell, Colin Walsh and Vinny Corey are Monaghan’s five to seven combination and all of them attack at will.

When this happens Niall Kearns dons a defensive hat in the middle, allowing Darren Hughes to go forward if he’s needed. Often he is as he knows where the posts are too.

This is the five man axis that can upset Tyrone, despite their comparable ability, (dreaded) system and a similar flexibility in the middle five. Mickey Harte has plenty of tools at his disposal too but I have a feeling that on Sunday everything will fall into place for the Malachy O’Rourke project. Two Ulster titles, two promotions and a consistent home in the top eight, this is the next step. I hope they take it. We all need a little romance in our lives.

Floundering Galway

It would need a giant leap for Galway to reach their second All-Ireland final in six days. If it happens then last Saturday night was the greatest con job since ‘The Sting’ (ask your parents). It will defy all known GAA logic if that performance can be turned around into one that beats Dublin.

This is a pity because we had genuine aspirations a few short weeks ago that the Tribesmen could test the Dubs. Back then the Kingdom had been beaten in Croke Park, Damien Comer looked liked an All-Star full forward, even a footballer of the year candidate and there was the required physicality about the side that suggested they wouldn’t wilt. But shrivel they did at home.

In keeping with the romantic theme maybe Kevin Walsh is an absolute genius. Maybe going a half an hour without scoring at home is the perfect preparation for the best team in football since the aforementioned Kerry side of the 70s and 80s.

Let’s not kid ourselves. A couple of Dublin squad members took Roscommon apart on Sunday just to remind Jim Gavin that they have something to offer.

They made 11 changes to the team that beat Tyrone a fortnight earlier in Omagh.

Guys like Michael Dara MacAuley, Paddy Andrews, Paul Flynn, Kevin McMenamon, Cormac Costello and Eoghan O’Gara all started. They even brought on Bernard Brogan.

Alas these Dubs will teach Galway that there’s more to life than romance.