MEN’S ALL-IRELAND SFC GROUP 3

MAITIU MONAGHAN

It’s the nature of the new All-Ireland beast that Monaghan are forced to get straight back onto the horse, and solidify their place in the knockout stages of the All-Ireland series. The prospect of facing Clare on the bank holiday weekend initially perked the interest of Monaghan fans. There were dreams of a weekend away in Ennis or Killaloe. Alas, the fixtures did not fall that way. Instead, Monaghan are dreaming of another weekend, a bit further down the line, in North Dublin for All-Ireland quarter-final weekend, at the very least. Saturday’s victory over Louth has put Monaghan in complete control over their group, but it’s still too early for Gabriel Bannigan and his side to count their chickens, even if the rest of the county is getting carried away. Still, inside the walls of Cloghan, minds will be focused on the task at hand, and getting two more points on the board and, at the very least, a home preliminary quarter final.

Gabriel Bannigan has a decision to make this weekend in his squad selection. It remains to be seen whether he will stick with the same starting 15 that brushed Louth away last weekend, or if he will freshen things up with a few new faces. Certainly, against Louth nobody played themselves out of contention for the match against Clare, and at this time of the season, nobody will want to open the door for someone else to take their spot, especially against a team where a comfortable win is expected. Nonetheless, Monaghan will sense an opportunity to build depth in the panel for the remainder of the ….