Articles in the GAA Category

COLM SHALVEY REPORTS Ballybay Community College won their first ever All-Ireland title when they outlasted Cork’s Boherbue Comprehensive School in extra-time at Hawkfield last Saturday. This Rice Cup Final was an epic encounter that saw the lead and the momentum change hands several times, before Ballybay CC eventually kicked for home in the closing stages. Substitute Julius Sniauksta came up trumps with the allimportant goal for the Ballybay side, who had Aaron Mulligan in excellent form once again as he stepped up in extra-time with some important points and the assist ...

Monaghan have Div 1 fate back in their own hands COLM SHALVEY COMMENTARY Monaghan have their Allianz National Football League Division One fate back in their own hands after last Sunday’s derby win over Cavan. Monaghan’s latest clash with neighbours Cavan followed a similar pattern to many of their recent meetings, with the hosts running out narrow winners in Clones to end their four-game losing run and move out of the relegation zone ahead of this Sunday’s final round. On this occasion, the three-point winning margin was the least Monaghan deserved after ...

Monaghan 0-14 Cavan 1-08 JOHN GRAHAM A strong second half performance saw Monaghan end a four game losing sequence to get back to winning ways at the expense of Cavan in this somewhat low-key and at times testy National Football League encounter that was played in blustery and somewhat greasy conditions in Clones on Saturday afternoon last in front of just under 5,000 hardy souls, to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding relegation. T his was a must win game for Monaghan and they duly achieved the necessary result but at times tended ...

COLM SHALVEY COMMENTARY The latest renewal of the storied rivalry between Monaghan and Cavan sees both teams in desperate need of a win in the race to retain Allianz National Football League Division One status. Monaghan and Cavan are both stuck on two points ahead of Saturday’s game in Clones, with the relegation trap-door set to open up for the loser of this one with a round still left to play. Both counties will also have an eye on that afternoon’s action in Galway, where they will be hoping Roscommon – ...

John Graham reports With the way results went for both of Saturday’s protagonists in their last outings, it makes this game a must win situation for both if they are to have a chance of avoiding relegation to division 2 with just one game left after Saturday’s encounter in Clones. An added ingredient too is the fact that these teams meet in the quarterfinal of the Ulster Senior Football Championship later in the year, so getting a victory on Saturday would give whoever achieves that a psychological advantage. In their most ...

When Monaghan brought the curtain down on 2018 with a 1-20 to 1-12 victory over Antrim in the Dr. McKenna Cup, Malachy O’Rourke and his think tank had every reason to look forward to an even better 2019. The win over Antrim represented the Farney county’s 13th victory from a run of 20 games stretching back to the previous Dr. McKenna Cup campaign and when Dublin were downed in this year’s NFL, a lorry load of reasons was spawned to give Monaghan supporters every right to be optimistic about 2019. ...

Crunch derby against Cavan next up COLM SHALVEY COMMENTARY Monaghan’s battle to retain their Allianz National Football League Division One status will largely hinge on Saturday week’s crunch derby against Cavan after a fourth straight defeat away to table-toppers Kerry last Sunday. An improved performance had Monaghan narrowly ahead for long spells of this game in snowy Killarney, but Kerry kicked seven of the last eight points to secure their fifth win from five. Monaghan were much better than in the tame defeat in Omagh in round four, but once again, their ...

Kerry next for out-of-form Monaghan Monaghan face a tough task to retain their Allianz National Football League Division One status after falling to three straight defeats for the first time since 2016, when they stayed up on a dramatic final day. An off-colour second-half performance in last Saturday’s local derby against Tyrone in Omagh leaves Monaghan facing an uphill battle ahead of another testing trip to Killarney this Sunday. Monaghan had recovered from a slow start that saw them concede 1- 1 inside the first four minutes to compete well for ...

Tyrone 1-16 Monaghan 0-12 JOHN GRAHAM reports from Healy Park sive Tyrone consigned Mon- aghan to a third successive de- feat in this at times quite one sided encounter that was played in good conditions in front of an attendance of 5,986 in Healy Park on Saturday evening last. Tyrone were full value for their victory in that they dictated the pace and tenor of this game throughout with the best that Monaghan could achieve was being level twice…

PATRICK SMYTH Following on from Castleblayney’s heroic exploits on the club front, the game of hurling in Monaghan got another timely boost on Sunday last at Healy Park, Omagh when the county seniors notched a gutsy 4-12 to 2-13 win over NHL Divi- sion 3A rivals Tyrone. Monaghan fielded their strongest team so far in the competition with the the ‘blayney players – Cormac McNally, Mark Treanor, Colin Merrick and Peter Treanor – all making their competitive bow for the county in 2019. …