Ulster SFC Quarter-Final
Monaghan v DonegaL
Sunday, Clones, 2pm

By Michael McMullan

DONEGAL are All-Ireland champions. Monaghan hadn’t lifted the Anglo Celt Cup since 1988. A frenzy versus a famine. It’s Ulster final day 2013.

Monaghan had just won the minor title minutes earlier. David Coldrick throws in the ball. Darren Hughes kicks a diagonal ball to his brother Kieran.

It’s the first play. It’s a floater, asking to be caught. Kieran is up like a salmon at the Roslea end. Play is recycled. Darren delivers the first score.

A first nail.

By the final whistle, Monaghan are six clear. Malachy O’Rourke had worked his magic. The pitch was wedged. The Farney army are delirious. Magical scenes.

It was the first of three Ulster finals. Monaghan lead 2-1. Jim McGuinness turned the tables 12 month later but it was Declan Bonner in the Donegal dugout when Monaghan were kings in 2015.

That 2013 decider remains the only game McGuinness has lost in the Ulster Championship and Donegal fans will pray that stat remains on Sunday in St Tiernach’s Park.

They packed the pitch at the end of last year’s Ulster final. A return to the top. McGuinness has brought the county back towards the top of the mountain.

They beat the last three All-Ireland champions to secure their top flight league status before pulling up the handbrake to plant their eyes on the preliminary round win over Derry.

The Oakleafers had early control but faced a seven-point interval deficit. Donegal were in control with McBrearty kicking them back in the comfort zone.

Monaghan were relegated last season but Gabriel Bannigan has worked his magic. A well-spoken and fanatical Monaghan man, he has united the county.

He has had success wherever he has rocked up at. Bringing in Andy Moran as coach was a major coup. John McElholm joined the management team. Former minor manager Dermot Malone came on board. Then you have Damien Freeman and Dermot McArdle.

The solid Monaghan core has come through in their journey back up from Division Two as champions.

In a way, it’s like Donegal. There is a fanaticism among the fans and an excitement in how they play.

Both teams have pace and a selection of long kickers with goalkeepers who can pack a punch from the tee.

Derry found both sides of Shaun Patton’s sword. Push up, and he can ping kick-outs over the top.

His kicks to Ciarán Moore and Peadar Mogan yielded scores. Drop off and Donegal build through the lines and they almost always get a shot off.

The same can be said for Beggan who has kicked 17 two-pointers this season. The same as Donegal’s overall total.

Gabriel Bannigan was an interested spectator in Ballybofey and will have noted the pace Derry used to get through Donegal for three goal chances.

He’ll have saw the absence of centre-back Caolan McGonagle in the moment leading to Dan Higgins hitting the net.

McGonagle is very much their anchor and Mícheál Bannigan – Gabriel’s nephew – is a playmaker Monaghan can use to unlock Donegal.

That’s where McGuinness will need a tagger to allow their compact defending of the 40-metre arc. The fact Caolan McGonagle is out, Odhrán McFadden Ferry may get the job in the centre, but it leaves a key piece missing from the Donegal jigsaw. McGonagle’s positional sense is top drawer. A hallmark of Jim’s second coming.

Another stat that won’t be lost on Donegal will be Beggan nailing 16 two-pointers from frees. Their plan will be two-fold. Avoid needless fouls is one half.

The other, perhaps more importantly, is their control of the ball. They rarely cough up possession and keeping the ball minimises the need for the rash scramble tackles.

For Monaghan, they’ll be hoping Conor McCarthy, Stephen O’Hanlon and Bannigan can bring the incisiveness Derry brought.

If they can add a more clinical side than the Oakleafers, they’ll ask more questions.

This time last year, Donegal entered the Ulster fray as Division Two league champions. It didn’t hinder them but they had a very different championship focus. They’d Derry in the crosshairs from a long way out.

Donegal in the long grass were the most dangerous of animals. They were very close to an All-Ireland appearance.

They’ve added Michael Murphy, Conor O’Donnell, Finnbarr Roarty and Odhrán McFadden-Ferry to the cocktail. A key man for virtually every line.

Derry were unable to take Donegal to the final quarter. Their impact men of Jason McGee, Oisín Gallen and Jamie Brennan weren’t needed to close the game. Not really. Not the way it was expected.

With their confidence from a fruitful league and a positive energy in the county, they have the tools to take Sunday’s game to the lip of the melting pot.

Sunday will be a great test of the depth McGuinness has added around the edges of their 2024 model.

As Gabriel Bannigan pointed out, getting Donegal out of Ballybofey is a help but playing them in Clones isn’t as big an advantage. They’ve played there as often as Monaghan.

This familiarity and their impact from the bench might just sway this one in the champions’ favour. The McGuinness Ulster record may well continue. There is the hue but though. He needs someone to play the McGonagle role to perfection. The fact Derry scored tbeir goal when he was off will sharpern the Donegal focus.

LAST TIME

2023 SFC – Donegal 0-19 Monaghan 0-17

DONEGAL came through this Ulster derby in Omagh to book their spot in

the preliminary All-Ireland quarter-finals.

They started without injured plagued skipper Paddy McBrearty but built their victory with 13 first half points and Shaun Patton’s 100 per cent success rate from his kick-outs.

McBrearty and Monaghan’s Conor McManus entered the fray at half time.

Monaghan were forced to commit more men forward and clawed it back with three McCarron points from placed balls.

They did have chances to dig themselves out but scored from Conor O’Donnell helped secure a Donegal win.

Donegal: S Patton (0-1f); M Curran, B McCole, C McColgan; C Ward, EB Gallagher, S McMenamin; C McGonagle (0-1), H McFadden; D Ó Baoill (0-3), J Brennan (0-2, 1f), C Thompson (0-3, 1f); O Doherty (0-1), O Gallen (0-5, 3f), C O’Donnell (0-3)

Subs: JR Boyle for Ward, P McBrearty for Gallen, R O’Donnell for Ó Baoill, L McGlynn for O’Donnell

Monaghan: R Beggan; R O’Toole, K Duffy, R Wylie; K O’Connell, C Boyle (0-2), C McCarthy; K Gallagher, K Lavelle; S O’Hanlon (0-1), M Bannigan (0-2), R McAnespie (0-1); J McCarron (0-5, 3f, 1m), G Mohan (0-3, 1m), D Hughes (0-2)

Subs: C McManus (0-1f) for Gallagher, S Carey for Lavelle, K Hughes for D Hughes, C Lennon for O’Connell, F Hughes for McCarron (67)

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

2023 SFC
Donegal 0-19 Monaghan 0-17
2023 NFL
Monaghan 1-20 Donegal 0-15
2022 NFL
Donegal 0-10 Monaghan 1-12
2021 NFL
Donegal 1-20 Monaghan 4-11
NFL 2020
Donegal 2-12 Monaghan 0-8

SEASON SO FAR

MONAGHAN

NFL
Cavan 0-20 Monaghan 2-22
Monaghan 2-29 Westmeath 2-21
Roscommon 0-25 Monaghan 2-14
Monaghan 3-16 Cork 1-15
Louth 1-21 Monaghan 1-27
Meath 1-20 Monaghan 1-29
Monaghan 2-17 Down 0-24
Monaghan 1-26 Roscommon 0-19

DONEGAL

NFL
Donegal 0-20 Dublin 0-16
Kerry 1-18 Donegal 0-23
Donegal 0-21 Armagh 1-10
Galway 0-21 Donegal 0-14
Donegal 1-22 Derry 1-19
Donegal 0-19 Tyrone 0-25
Mayo 1-18 Donegal 1-16
ULSTER SFC
Donegal 1-25 Derry 1-15

TOP SCORERS

MONAGHAN
Rory Beggan 0-38 (16 tpf, 1 tp, 2 45, 1f)
Micheál Bannigan 2-24 (5f, 2 tp, 2m)
Conor McCarthy 2-20 (2 tp, 1-0 pen)

DONEGAL
Dáire Ó Baoill 1-23 (8 tp)
Patrick McBrearty 0-19 (6f, 1 tpf)
Ciarán Thompson 0-15 (1tp, 1 tpf, 1f)
Conor O’Donnell 0-15 (1f)

This week’s Gaelic Lives pod looks ahead to this weekend’s Ulster SFC games. Our guests are Kieran Hughes and Shane King.