National Football League action for Monaghan’s men and women, MacLarnon Cup semi-finals for two schools from the county and the start of the reserve leagues make for a busy weekend.
Allianz National Football League Division One
Mayo v Monaghan, Sunday, 2.00, Castlebar
Monaghan resume their NFL Division One campaign with a trip to MacHale Park, Castlebar to face Mayo on Sunday.
Both teams go into this one having won their first game and lost in round two. Monaghan beat Tyrone before being edged out by Cork, while Mayo followed a good win over Kerry with a somewhat surprising defeat at home to Tyrone. The four-in-a-row Connacht champions are in the early days of the era of former Under-21 All-Ireland-winning managers Pat Holmes and Noel Connelly, who took over from James Horan after the 2014 championship, where Mayo’s bid to make a third consecutive All-Ireland final ended in an epic semi-final replay against eventual winners Kerry.
Monaghan’s last visit to Sunday’s venue resulted in a narrow defeat in 2010, with their most recent clash with Mayo the following year resulting in mixed emotions, as they won an exciting final-round game in Inniskeen, only to still be relegated from Division One on score difference. Monaghan have yet to win a league game on their infrequent travels to Mayo, although they did draw in Castlebar in their title-winning campaign of 1985.
Monaghan will hope that the likes of Conor McManus, Drew and Ryan Wylie and Stephen Gollogly can continue their good form, while Darren Hughes is set to return from the groin injury that kept him out of the Cork game. A vastly experienced Mayo team have regularly been challenging for National League and All-Ireland honours in the last number of years and their team is backboned by experienced campaigners like Keith Higgins, Cillian O’Connor, Aidan O’Shea, Dónal Vaughan, Lee Keegan and Colm Boyle. A cracking game is on the cards between two teams determined to return to winning ways and keep pace with the teams in the top half as we approach the midway point in this hugely competitive division.
The Monaghan team named for Sunday is unchanged from last time out, while Mayo’s shows five changes, with Robbie Hennelly, Tom Cunniffe, Patrick Durcan, Séamus O’Shea and Cillian O’Connor coming in for David Clarke, Michael Hall, Colm Boyle, Michael Conroy and Alan Freeman.
Mayo: Robbie Hennelly; Tom Cunniffe, Kevin Keane, Keith Higgins (Capt.); Lee Keegan, Stephen Coen, Patrick Durcan; Dónal Vaughan, Séamus O’Shea; Kevin McLoughlin, Aidan O’Shea, Diarmuid O’Connor; Mark Ronaldson, Cillian O’Connor, Jason Doherty.
Monaghan: Rory Beggan; Conor Boyle, Drew Wylie, Ryan Wylie; Dessie Mone, Fintan Kelly, Kieran Duffy; Neil McAdam, Paul Finlay; Kieran Hughes, Stephen Gollogly, Ryan McAnespie; Dermot Malone, Daniel McKenna, Conor McManus (Capt.).
Subs: Enda Duffy, John McCarron, Paddy McGuigan, Karl O’Connell, Vincent Corey, Darren Hughes, Owen Duffy, Pádraig Donaghy, Thomas Connolly, Thomas Kerr, Paul Meegan.
Ladies National Football League Division One
Laois v Monaghan, Sunday, 2.00, Crettyard
Monaghan’s ladies attempt to build on last weekend’s win over All-Ireland champions Cork when they travel to Laois on Sunday.
Monaghan lost their league opener to Dublin, but wins over Tyrone and Cork have them on track, while Laois have fallen to defeats against Mayo and Galway and they were forced to concede to Kerry after a virus hit their panel.
Monaghan will be looking to the likes of Cora and Sharon Courtney, Caoimhe Mohan, Ciara and Aoife McAnespie, Cathriona McConnell, Laura McEnaney and Gráinne McNally to lead the way, while Laois will need Nóirín Kirwan, Martina and Gráinne Dunne, Jane Moore and Laura-Marie Maher on top form.
Danske Bank Ulster Colleges MacLarnon Cup Semi-Finals
Our Lady’s Secondary School, Castleblayney v St. Louis, Ballymena, Saturday, 12.00, St. Paul’s, Lurgan
Patrician High School, Carrickmacross v St. Malachy’s College, Belfast, Saturday, 4.00, Silverbridge
Our Lady’s Secondary School, Castleblayney and Patrician High School, Carrickmacross both contest MacLarnon Cup semi-finals on Saturday.
Our Lady’s powered past St. Ciarán’s, Ballygawley in their quarter-final to set up a meeting with St. Louis, Ballymena, who edged past St. Columb’s, Derry.
Our Lady’s can call on two Ulster Colleges All-Stars in centre-half back Barry Kerr and chief marksman Barry McGinn. Micheál Bannigan, Aaron Courtney, Conor Marray, Jamie Walshe, Damien Ward and James Wilson are other key players for Our Lady’s, with Darren McCormack, Éamon Fyfe, Keelan Molloy, Conor Carey and Daniel Martin among the main men for the Ballymena school.
Silverbridge is the venue for the rescheduled match between Patrician High School, Carrickmacross and St. Malachy’s, Belfast, which was postponed last weekend due to the death of Brendan Lanney, father of Carrick player Patrick.
Patrician put Holy Trinity, Cookstown to the sword last time out and will go into this game full of confidence, like their near-neighbours. The Carrick school can call on several members of Donaghmoyne’s double-winning minor team from last year, as well as a number of county minors. One player in both of those categories is David Garland, who hit 1-7 in the quarter-final, while rising Meath star Dáire Rowe contributed 1-5. Aaron Jones, Ronan McDonald, Thomas Finnegan and Shane Garland give Patrician strength in all sectors.
St. Malachy’s needed extra-time in their clash with Cavan’s Virginia College, which they eventually won by the narrowest of margins, to get to this stage. The Belfast side’s key players include Conor Kelly, Odhrán Eastwood, Ruairí Donaghy and Ryan Straney.
The domestic club scene gets underway on Sunday, with Killanny v Truagh in the Platinum Tanks Reserve Football League Division 2B and Division Three games between Emyvale and Aghabog and Monaghan Harps and Killeevan.
By cshalvey Fri 27th Feb
