Allianz National Football League Division One: Tyrone 1-19 Monaghan 2-13
IF they had to go, they deserved to go down with all guns blazing. Monaghan’s 10-season watch in the top flight is over but they bowed out in style, fighting tooth-and-nail with gutsy Tyrone in a classic that produced 35 scores over almost 80 minutes of breathless action on a sodden pitch in driving rain.
There’s no need for new rules when Gaelic Football is played like this. On a night when the stars shone brightly, Darragh Canavan, McManus, Morgan, McCarron, Bannigan and McCurry were the leading lights but every man on that mucky field - including Niall Devlin who had laid his brother Caolan to rest only days previously - played his part, right down to Ruairi Canavan’s injury-time block on marauding Gary Mohan and Morgan’s save from McCarron at the death.
Monaghan, seven points behind early in the second half, produced another trademark comeback and even had a chance to level it but Tyrone, who welcomed back Mattie Donnelly in the second half, stood tall in the pressure cooker.
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Late scores from man of the match Canavan and Joe Oguz got them over the line and eased any relegation fears and afterwards manager Brian Dooher praised the wholehearted effort of his young side.
“We showed a bit of character there,” he said.
“We have lot of young boys there and you have to give them a lot of credit.
“They put the shoulder to the wheel and the biggest thing about them is they give you an honest performance.
“Today is one of the days we came out on the right side of it.”
Had Monaghan been at full strength and played like this all season it’s doubtful they’d be heading for Division Two now but injuries are part of sport and the top flight is an unforgiving environment.
Losing Rory Beggan to American Football allied to injuries to McManus, McCarthy and Ryan McAnespie made it a struggle they couldn’t win.
“You could see how rusty some of our key men were in the first half,” said manager Vinny Corey.
“As the game wore on you could see them getting into their stride and some of the ring-rust starting to go. It was a very encouraging second half, it was the first time we had a strong, experienced team out.”
As for relegation, with new players emerging to replace the veterans who have given yeoman service to the county, Corey said he wasn’t “overly-sentimental” about dropping to Division Two.
“We have threaded the line a few times,” he said.
“With the setbacks we’ve had I would have taken Division Two this year because it doesn’t do anybody any good when you’re down a lot of players and getting hammerings in Division One.
“I don’t think Division Two is a bad place for where Monaghan is at at the moment to build and get a bit of momentum.”
Corey’s men were three points down in a flash when the action began.
McCurry and Canavan scored the first two and Kieran McGeary started and finished a sweeping move for Tyrone’s third.
Monaghan have been around too long to panic. Bannigan gave McGeary the slip down the left and fisted the ball across the square.
McManus missed it but McCarron didn’t and he side-footed a deft finish into the back of the net to leave it level after five minutes.
Morgan’s distribution was jaw-dropping at times. His kickout soared over the midfield, Cathal McShane flicked it on and – with Monaghan keeper Darren McDonnell sprinting back toward his goal – Aodhan Donaghy raced on to it and sent Tyrone ahead again.
Attacking players on both sides revelled in the man-on-man, old-fashioned stuff and Bannigan smashed a drive off the post as Monaghan almost responded brilliantly but Tyrone scrambled the ball away through Padraig Hampsey and McCurry added another free to their total.
Livewire Bannigan made his second chance count before Edendork’s Ben Cullen landed a superb score from 45 metres and McCurry (two frees) and Canavan’s superb effort from off the ground near the sideline extended Tyrone’s lead to 0-9 to 1-2.
Four was soon seven. Darren Hughes’s shot fell short and Morgan pinged a raking, inch-perfect 60-yard pass to Canavan who took it on the run with Bannigan in hot pursuit.
The Errigal Ciaran forward fumbled the ball when he got within shooting distance but it bounced kindly and he stabbed it sweetly into the Monaghan net.
The Farneymen had the better of it from there to half-time. McCarthy and McCarron scored for them, Tyrone replied through Canavan and McCurry but late scores from Ciaran McNulty and a McCarron free left it 1-11 to 1-6 in Tyrone’s favour at the interval.
McShane-assisted scores for McGeary and Ciaran Daly strengthened Tyrone’s hand early in the second half but Monaghan upped the ante. McCarron countered with a free and then Bannigan switched the play and McManus reeled back the years, ghosting past his marker and slotted over a brilliant point.
Canavan scored, McManus replied, McCarron hit the upright and Ryan O’Toole almost had a goal chance but was then black-carded for a push off-the-ball.
Monaghan fans cursed their luck and referee Jerome Henry but Brian Kennedy followed O’Toole to the sin 40 seconds later (for dragging back Mohan) and McCarron scored the free to leave four in it (1-15 to 1-11) with 15 minutes to go.
McCurry widened the gap to five but then Andrew Woods cut through the Tyrone defence and set up Killian Lavelle for a tap-in and there was just two between them.
Again Tyrone responded through Canavan and again Monaghan replied via the peerless McManus who dummied two defenders but blasted over when all watching expected the net to bulge.
Another McManus point left one between the sides and then Mohan cut through from the left and shaped to shoot only for Ruairi Canavan to dive and block.
David Garland, just on the field, took Ryan Wylie’s pass and stuck his hand up to signal a mark but he pulled his shot wide.
The Farneymen laid siege to the Tyrone goal. Morgan saved from Kieran Duffy, McManus’s shot dropped short and he punched it away and then, after McCurry had put two between them, the brilliant Tyrone netminder blocked McCarron’s piledriver.
Cormac Quinn cleared and Oguz tapped over the last as Tyrone broke.
What a game it was. Monaghan are down, but not out.
Tyrone: N Morgan; C Devlin, P Hampsey, C Quinn; B Cullen (0-1), K McGeary (0-2), N Devlin; B Kennedy, A Donaghy (0-1); C Daly (0-1), S O’Donnell, J Oguz (0-1); D McCurry (0-6, 0-4 frees), D Canavan (1-6, 0-3 frees), C McShane (0-1)
Subs: M Donnelly for McGeary (42), R Canavan for McShane (57), A Clarke for Hampsey (65), L McGarrity for Daly (75)
Yellow cards: Donaghy (34), Donnelly (48), R Canavan (72), Oguz (72)
Black card: Kennedy (53)
Monaghan: D McDonnell; R Wylie, K Duffy, R O’Toole; J Irwin, K Lavelle (1-0), C McCarthy (0-1); M McCarville, D Hughes; D Ward, M Bannigan (0-1), R McAnespie; C McManus (0-6, 0-2 marks), J McCarron (1-4, 0-4 frees), C McNulty (0-1)
Subs: K O’Connell for Irwin (HT), G Mohan for McCarville (45), A Woods for McNulty (51), D Garland for Ward (68)
Yellow cards: Hughes (55), Mohan (71)
Black card: O’Toole (52)
Referee: J Henry (Mayo)
