MINORS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Monaghan braced to begin title defence

COLM SHALVEY

Monaghan are set to belatedly begin their defence of the Ulster MFC in a preliminary- round derby against Cavan in Clones on Saturday. Having won back-to-back provincial titles for the first time in nearly 80 years, Monaghan face a hard road to a potential record hat-trick at this level. With the minor grade mirroring its senior counterpart for 2020 by reverting to an old-school knockout format, the sole focus this weekend will be on getting through to a potential quarter-final against Antrim.

While the previous years saw Monaghan launch their championship campaign on the back of runs to Ulster league finals, it is of course a very different scenario in 2020 for Mark Counihan and co. The Ulster MFL was cut short back in March, with Monaghan having lost their opening two…