TWO points from two games was an admirable start for Monaghan, says former wing forward Dermot Malone, especially given their opposition and the number of regulars that haven’t saw any game time so far this season.
The likes of Rory Beggan, Conor McManus and Darren Hughes have yet to feature while Kieran Hughes has retired and yet Monaghan overcame All-Ireland champions Dublin in round one before falling to Kerry in their last outing.
This weekend, they take on perhaps the most in-form team in the country as they travel to Celtic Park on Saturday evening to face Mickey Harte’s Derry, who have yet to taste defeat in 2024.
“There’s never a good time really to play this Derry team at the minute but going up there, after how well they performed in the first two games, is a big ask,” said Malone. “It’s a Monaghan team that is very, very light on the ground and they’ll have it all to do.
“I think if you had of told any Monaghan supporters before the league started that we’d have two points after two games, they’d have taken it. It’s not a bad start considering the amount of personnel we’re down.
“We’re more than happy with two points from two games. You’re probably looking at the next three games as your next batch and you’d be hoping to get three or four points from those and that would set you up nicely.”
Monaghan don’t do excuses however and while they’re missing some key men, Malone is delighted with how the players that have filled in.
“There’s a load of chaps that are playing with Monaghan, a lot of new boys that would have less than five or ten appearances with Monaghan and they’re playing against some of the best teams in the country.
“A lot of those boys would have played against Dublin and Kerry in the last two or three weeks and that may have been their first real experience of playing county football and that will absolutely stand to them.
“I think as well as that, all Monaghan people are realistic about it. We don’t expect too much of them because still is very early doors and it’s a real high level of competition, but I think the vast majority of Monaghan supporters are happy with where the team is right now.”
Derry claimed the McKenna Cup title before seeing off Kerry and Tyrone in the opening two rounds of the league to sit at the top of Division One alongside Mayo. While it’s still early on in the year, Malone has been impressed with the Oak Leaf County.
“It’s definitely very early days and too early in the league to be building them up too much but from what I’ve seen so far, they do have a full panel to pick from and they’re at full tilt,” added the current Monaghan minor boss.
“They’ve had a really good start; they’ve conceded the least amount of scores in Division One so their defence is obviously really good. They’re going at one hundred mile an hour and they’ll definitely take some beating in the league.
“There’s always that small bit of added rivalry when Ulster teams meet and I know that when Monaghan were playing Derry last year, there were a couple of great tussles and battles.
“Derry beat them well in the first game and Monaghan got a draw then the second day so there’s never too much in it and there’s always a bit of extra edge when you’re coming up against your local Ulster teams and they all seem to have started well.”