MONAGHAN’S 2024: Onwards and upwards for Farney county

1 Monaghan finally face the drop

MONAGHAN have fought off relegation for so, so long, and after spending a full decade in Division One, 2024 was the year when their luck finally ran out. With injuries, player rotation and Rory Beggan’s American dream to contend with, Vinny Corey’s side were always going to struggle in their attempts of staying up. It all started so well, with a round one win over Dublin in Croke Park, but they suffered an eight-game losing streak after that. Monaghan eventually ended the rot against Meath in round three of the All-Ireland series, and the width of the crossbar denied them taking out All-Ireland finalists Galway and progressing to the last eight. Corey stepped down at the end of the campaign, and it’s up to Gabriel Bannigan to refocus the side next season and guide them through what looks like a period of transition.

2 McManus back
in blue

WHAT a servant to the Monaghan cause Conor McManus has been for well over a decade now, and by the looks of things, the Clontibret sharpshooter isn’t about to hang up the boots just yet. After Monaghan’s preliminary quarter-final defeat to Galway at the end of June, it seemed as though McManus had played his last game in the blue and white jersey. But, speaking recently on The Football Pod, McManus suggested that he wasn’t ready to ride off into the sunset just yet and intends on stretching his inter-county career into its 19th season. The 37-year-old owes Monaghan absolutely nothing, but his drive and determination to keep going at the very highest level, even after all these years, has to be admired. Gabriel Bannigan is surely a relieved man and will be glad to have McManus’ backing as Monaghan aim to regain their spot in Division One after suffering the drop for the first time in 10 years in 2024.

3 Hurlers heading down

2024 was a disappointing year from a Monaghan hurling perspective, especially after such a phenomenal 2023. Last year, the Farney men reached the Division 3A league semi-finals and claimed Lory Meagher Cup gold in Croke Park, but the step up in class proved too much for Monaghan in 2024 and they unfortunately slipped back down. Arthur Hughes’ men collected just two points in the Division 3A league campaign, both coming in a round three win over Armagh, but finished at the bottom of the table and suffered relegation based off Louth’s superior head-to-head record. Their championship charge didn’t fare much better, and they failed to win a single game in the Nickey Rackard Cup, seeing them slide back down to the Lory Meagher Cup competition for 2025.

4 So close yet
so far for Ladies

HAVING experienced the dizzy heights of days out in Croke Park and All-Ireland Senior finals, Monaghan are now operating at Intermediate grade, and they certainly competed for silverware this season. The Farney County caused a huge upset in the Ulster semi-final, knocking out a Tyrone side that ended up reaching the All-Ireland final, before pushing Down all the way in the provincial decider. The Mourne ladies were 10-points up at the start of the second period, but Monaghan showed serious heart and resilience to fight back and ended up losing out by the minimum of margins. It was the Mourne ladies who eventually ended their season at the All-Ireland quarter final stage, but Monaghan displayed enough talent to suggest they can push on again next season

5 Donaghmoyne’s dominance comes
to an end

FOR 21 years, Donaghmoyne held the Monaghan Ladies Championship in a vice-like grip and remained top dogs for 21 consecutive years. In 2004, they won their first Ulster title and in the past 20 years, they’ve dominated the provincial competition, collecting the crown on 14 different occasions to lead the roll of honour. Donaghmoyne became All-Ireland champions in 2006 and have five titles to their record now. Their Monaghan stranglehold incredibly came to an abrupt halt this season when Emyvale ended their magnificent record at the semi-final stage. Emyvale had lost ten deciders to Donaghmoyne, so finally getting one over their old nemesis would have felt terrific. They couldn’t back it up, losing the final to Magheracloone. With the Donaghmoyne dominance now ended, next year’s Monaghan Championship will be of huge interest, to see if they can reclaim their throne.