Articles in the GAA Category

BY ADRIAN HARTE It’s a possession game; it’s all about keeping the ball” was the succinct response from Monaghan captain Owen Lennon when quizzed immediately after their Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-final victory over Cavan in Clones on Saturday night about Rory Beggan’s late escape from a possible over-carrying infringement. And the Latton talisman’s words are also the perfect description of modern Gaelic football. When I last returned to the pages of the Standard to write about a Monaghan victory (the defeat of then All-Ireland champions Armagh in 2003), I reflected ...

Monaghan 1-10 Cavan 0-12 BY JOHN GRAHAM A RESILIENT Monaghan held out in a nerve tingling finish to book their place in the final of the Ulster Senior Football Championship at the expense of Cavan in Clones on Saturday evening last. The victory also denied Cavan completing a hat-trick of victories over Monaghan as they had been victorious on the last two occasions when the sides met in 1995 and 2001. Overall Monaghan were deserving winners in that they were the more purposeful team for the bulk of the game, using their experience and ...

Monaghan Harps GFC held a very successful fashion show in the Hillgrove Hotel last Thursday night. The juvenile and senior players kicked the night off, with the help of Hugh Coyle, who got a great cheer as he bounced the ball up and down the catwalk!  Local models then did an excellent job of displaying a wide range of clothes from local shops, before the highlight of the night, which was the ‘wedding’ of Ronan Clarke and Margaret Brennan, with the help of a number of club members!  A massive thanks goes ...

Clones is the place to be this Saturday for Monaghan’s Ulster Championship double-header against Cavan. by COLM SHALVEY he prize on offer for the seniors is a place in the Ulster final and perhaps more importantly, local bragging rights. A clash with the All-Ireland champions may seem like a questionable reward, but defeat against the neighbours would be a much more unappealing fate. Monaghan have, of course, already lost to Cavan this year, when they left Breffni Park empty-handed after a dogfight which saw five players sent off. Forewarned is forearmed, however, and ...

Ulster Senior Football Championship Semi Final SO WHAT OF MONAGHAN? The initial reaction of Monaghan team manager Malachy O’Rourke following his side’s victory over Antrim back on Sunday, June 9th “that we didn’t frighten anyone in Ulster today”, underlined the amount of work that needed to be done and no doubt he and his backroom team will have been working diligently to remedy the perceived shortcomings in Monaghan’s game. It was obvious from the start of that contest that Antrim’s approach was one of containment and to a large extent it worked. In ...

An Ulster football championship semi-final that will simmer but not combust is anticipated by Cavan’s thoughtful manager Terry Hyland. by KEVIN CARNEY Cavan boss Terry Hyland isn’t expecting the same fireworks this Sunday that ignited a damp, dank Kingspan/Breffni Park the last time his side crossed swords with Monaghan. The two teams will go head-to-head at St. Tighernach’s Park in Clones with the massive carrot of a place in the Ulster decider dangling in front of them. And while derby duels seldom make for tranquil, touchy-feely atmospheres, Hyland doesn’t believe there’ll ...

Monaghan has injury doubts ahead of their eagerly-awaited Ulster SFC semi final against old rivals Cavan. By COLM SHALVEY Monaghan have a number of injury concerns ahead of Saturday week’s Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-final at Clones. Owen Duffy looks extremely doubtful after he suffered suspected ankle ligament damage while playing for Latton in the county championship last Sunday and Malachy O’Rourke and his management team are also sweating over the fitness of experienced duo Owen Lennon and Dick Clerkin. Clerkin, who hasn’t missed a championship match since 2003, is struggling ...

Sean McDermotts 2-13 Killanny 1-06 BY JOHN GRAHAM SEAN MCDERMOTTS got their Universal Graphics junior Football Championship campaign off to a winning start with victory over Toome a couple of weeks back and they continued that rich vein of form on Sunday afternoon last when they easily disposed of Killanny in Drumhowan and laid down a marker that they will be involved at the business end of things later in the competition. Apart from a brief period in the opening quarter Sean McDermotts dominated this tie throughout and never really allowed Killanny to ...

Tyholland 1-13 Corduff 0-14 BY JOHN GRAHAM TYHOLLAND held out in a frenetic finish to get their McGuigan Builders Intermediate Football championship campaign off to a winning start but they were pushed to their very limits by a Corduff at Grattan Park on Sunday evening last. Tyholland got off to much the better start and had five points on the board before Corduff registered their opening score but Tyholland still held sway in the second quarter to lead by five points at half-time with some excellent performances from Gary McQuaid, Peadar Farrelly, Dermot Coyle, ...

Ballybay 0-13 Rockcorry 1-06 BY COLM SHALVEY BALLYBAY made a winning start to their defence of the Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship title, but only after a tough battle against Rockcorry in Aughnamullen last Friday evening. Despite constant rain making conditions unseasonably tough, both teams contributed to a keenly-contested game, where Ballybay’s greater experience helped see them over the line. The Pearse Brothers always looked the more likely winners, but they were pushed all the way by a determined effort from SFC newcomers Rockcorry. Paul Finlay starred for Ballybay, kicking some fine scores, while Drew ...