Articles in the GAA Category

Clones has played host to many a thrilling contest and last Sunday afternoon another one was added to the annals. The match was a classic example of the irresistible force meeting the immoveable object. The 13,227 fans present were treated to a contest between teams of equal inspiration and dynamism. There was very, very little give all day. The clash was made all the riveting by the fact that Monaghan’s display went so close to sucking the life out of Dublin’s streak of 35 games unbeaten. Dublin made it 36 not out last ...

Dublin 2-15 Monaghan 1-15 Monaghan finished their Allianz Football League Division One campaign just outside the top two on score difference after being pipped by Dublin in a thrilling encounter in Clones last Sunday. After leading by a point at half-time, a goal from the outstanding Jack McCarron helped Monaghan move six clear, but Dublin substitutes Bernard Brogan and Jack McCaffrey found the net to turn the game. Monaghan led for the bulk of the game, but the Dubs timed their run to perfection; taking the lead for the first time on 70 ...

Colm Shalvey A place in a first Allianz National Football League Division One Final since 1986 is up for grabs when Monaghan host Dublin in Clones on Sunday. Monaghan have lost just once in six league games to date after salvaging a draw against Donegal last Sunday, but to claim a top-two place, they will have to put a stop to Dublin’s long unbeaten run in league and championship. The All-Ireland champions have been held to three draws in this campaign – by Tyrone, Donegal and…

Monaghan 1-11 Donegal 1-11 COLM SHALVEY A late Conor McManus penalty earned Monaghan a draw from another close contest against Donegal in the Allianz NFL at Ballyshannon last Sunday. Despite conceding an early goal to Michael Carroll, Monaghan came back to lead by a point at half-time, with the in-form Jack McCarron kicking six points. Donegal started the second half strongly with the wind at their backs and they quickly established a lead that they held almost right through to the finish, until McManus stepped up once again, like he had done ...

Monaghan will hope to remain touch at the top of the Allianz National Football League Division One when they travel to Ballyshannon to face Donegal on Sunday. Last Sunday’s game against Roscommon saw Monaghan return to winning ways and earn a third victory from five, leaving them in a four-way tie for top spot. Donegal are one of the three teams sharing that position with Monaghan, having surprised many by going unbeaten in their last four …

Our Lady’s Secondary School, Castleblayney fell short in their bid to win a second MacLarnon Cup in three years and to keep the title in Monaghan for the third consecutive campaign when they lost to St. Ciarán’s College, Ballygawley in an entertaining decider at the Athletic Grounds last Friday. Goals in the first quarter by James Wilson and David Hanley gave Our Lady’s a narrow lead, but they were never able to pull away with the wind at their backs and St. Ciarán’s won the second half by 1-8 to ...

By Kevin Carney Roscommon boss Kevin McStay might insist that he won’t be looking back on his side’s four league outings to date but the spectre in his rear-view mirror is so large now that it’s impossible to miss. Little could anyone have imagined that when the Rossies racked up 1-19 away to Donegal this time last year that they would be the basement-bottom side in Division One right now. Roscommon’s travails this year has been one of the major talking points of the NFL season to date. It doesn’t matter that they ...

AN EARLY start is in store tomorrow (Friday) for Our Lady’s Secondary School, Castleblayney as their senior boys’ football team contest the Danske Bank Ulster Schools MacLarnon Cup Final against first-time finalists St. Ciarán’s College, Ballygawley in Armagh at 10.45am. Our Lady’s won this title in 2015, defeating fellow Monaghan side Patrician High School in the final to end a ten-year wait for their second success at this level, before the Carrickmacross school came back to win it last year. That means the Castleblayney school will not only be attempting to ...

Monaghan 2-12 Louth 2-08 By JOHN GRAHAM Monaghan maintained their unbeaten run in Division 3A of the Allianz Hurling league when they held out for a 3 points victory over a tenacious Louth who pushed them all the way in a game that built to a nervy finish in Inniskeen on Sunday afternoon last. Injuries still forced manager Trevor Hilliard to make changes but his options where increased with the return of the Meegan siblings, Colm and Donal, both of whom had a big impact on the outcome. Despite being at less than ...

KEVIN CARNEY Years ago when short pants were de rigeur and on a wet day the weight of the match ball was multiplied 10-fold by the time the dust had settled on the game, the catchphrase of your commoner-garden trainer (there were no coaches back then) was to make sure “your last lap was your fastest”. Monaghan did just that in Omagh last weekend but it wasn’t enough to pip quick-out-of-the traps Tyrone. Of course, Monaghan made the race doubly hard to win by tying a sock around their ankles with the dismissal ...