Monaghan minors glad to go home

Monaghan’s Mark Magee and Ryan McAnespie, right, celebrate beating Down in the minor semi-final

MONAGHAN minor manager Colm McAree feels that a repeat of his side’s performances in their victories against Antrim and Down would not be good enough to beat Tyrone in Sunday’s Ulster final at Clones.

The Farney county go in search of their first Ulster title at this level in 67 years, and McAree said that in order to end the wait, they must have learned their lessons.

“There were elements of our play in those two games against Antrim and Down that pleased us,” said McAree. “But we know that won’t be enough against Tyrone, we need to bridge the gap between those games and this one at the weekend and combine all the good elements from those matches.

“Tyrone have been the flagship for the province this year and we are under no illusions of the task facing us, they are an outstanding team.”

The Monaghan Harps’ clubman has been handed a rarity in today’s game – a full and healthy panel, and it has helped in the preparations for the St Tiernach’s Park clash.

“We’re delighted that we have a full panel to pick from,” he said. “The only problem is that it makes your job difficult to pick just 24 boys, but it’s a nice problem to have.

“It’s helped with our preparations that’s for sure. Since the semi-final against Down we’ve been training physically, but we’ve also been training mentally too. We’re trying to make sure they relax ahead of the game, because relaxing into the match is so important.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday July 19. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here