By Shaun Casey
Former Monaghan boss Gabriel Bannigan will be patrolling the sidelines once again in 2027. The Aughnamullen man has taken charge of his home club for the upcoming season.
Bannigan stepped down from the Monaghan job, citing that the “goalposts have moved” in preparing a backroom team for the 2027 campaign.
Peter Nugent, the Aughnamullen manager this year, will remain as part of the management team in the form of a head coach.
Lee Conlon and Francie Ward will also be in the backroom team. Ward has managed the Aughnamullen minor team for the last three years, winning the Division Two championship in 2024 and 2025, and the Division One championship in 2026.
Aughnamullen will compete in the Intermediate Championship once again next season. In 2026, they reached the quarter-finals of the competition before losing out to Emyvale.
They also reached the Division Two league decider but fell at the final hurdle against Killanny, therefore losing out on promotion back to senior football.
Monaghan captain Micheál Bannigan, a nephew of Gabriel, will once again be the main man for Aughnamullen once the inter-county season comes to an end.
They will hope to see Bobby McCaul return to club action as well. McCaul suffered a second ACL injury against Mayo in the All-Ireland series.