Articles in the GAA Category

It’s a match that won’t live long in the memory, but it produced the right result from a Monaghan point of view. by COLM SHALVEY Manager O’Rourke acknowledged after last Sunday’s Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final at Casement Park that his team had been less than impressive, while Vincent Corey went a step further, admitting it was a “desperate” game. Having opened up a four-point lead after 20 minutes, Monaghan failed to score in the remaining 15 minutes of the first half, allowing Antrim to cut their interval deficit to just a ...

Monaghan 0-11 Antrim 0-06 BY JOHN GRAHAM MONAGHAN travelled to Casement Park, Belfast, on Sunday last with the objective of booking their place in the semi-final of the Ulster senior football championship and on the day they realised that objective but they will know that they will need to improve substantially if they are get over the next hurdle, their semi-final meeting with the winners of the Cavan v Fermanagh quarter final which takes place in Enniskillen this Sunday. Played in sweltering, energy sapping conditions, this was a contest that Monaghan dominated for almost ...

By Kevin Carney Football pundit Nudie Hughes has refused to go along entirely with the criticism meted out by fellow broadcasters to both Monaghan and Antrim following the teams’ dour Ulster SFC quarter-final clash last weekend. Instead of the focus being on Monaghan’s comfortable 0-11 to 0-6 victory over their hosts, much of the talk locally over the past week has centred on the no-holes barred synopsis of the game as proffered by messrs. Pat Spillane (Kerry) and Kevin McStay (Mayo) on RTE’s ‘Sunday Game’ programme on Sunday night last. A couple ...

By Michael McDonnell michael@northern-standard.ie THE Magheracloone footballer who had been banned from playing for eight weeks following an alleged incident involving sectarian remarks has succeeded in having that decision overturned by the GAA’s Ulster Council. It was welcomed by Magheracloone GFC this week (see Club Notes page) that their player, Noel Tuite, had been “cleared of racist allegations as a result of a successful appeal at the Ulster Council”. The issue had arisen at a Senior Football League game between the club and Ballybay Pearse Brothers on Sunday 12th May, ...

Monaghan or Antrim? Who’ll make it into the Ulster Senior Football Championship semi- finals this Sunday. by COLM SHALVEY Monaghan begin their Ulster Senior Football Championship campaign with an away game against Antrim in Belfast this Sunday. After a positive Allianz National Football League campaign which saw Monaghan gain promotion back to Division Two, before beating Meath in the final, hopes are high that a good championship run will follow. The winning habit has been restored this year, with Monaghan gaining 10 victories from 13 competitive matches, as well as ...

Frank Dawson: “We’re really looking forward to the contest and while we’re under no illusions about the size of the task facing us, Monaghan won’t get anything easy.” by KEVIN CARNEY The GAA’s ‘nothing beats being there’ mantra certainly rang true at Celtic Park last Sunday. Derry and Down produced such a pulsating championship joust that it must surely have set the pulses racing of even the most curmudgeon armchair viewer. The contest made for rivetting viewing and left Monaghan and Antrim with a lot to live up to this when they go head-to-head ...

BY JOHN GRAHAM Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter Final So can Monaghan build on their success in winning Division 3 of the Allianz Football league? There is every indication that they can as team manager Malachy O’Rourke used the league to develop players, to blood a number of young players coming in, to give game time to players recovering from injury and to begin the programme of preparation for the championship because without the league, the training and the games teams would be coming into the Summer less well-prepared than ...

By COLM SHALVEY The new Monaghan jerseys were launched in front of a sizable crowd in the Hillgrove Hotel last Thursday night. As well as Michael Cullen, CEO of the Irish arm of sponsor Investec, the attendance included members of all county teams and management, along with representatives of all the clubs and the county board. Michael Cullen spoke of his happiness to extend the banking group’s deal with Monaghan GAA, which has brought them not only financial benefits but has also been a source of enjoyment personally for the Monaghan ...

Monaghan 4-20 Antrim 3-06 By JOHN GRAHAM AS THE winners of the Ulster Minor football league Monaghan went into this Ulster Minor Championship Quarter Final encounter carrying the tag of favourites and on the night they totally vindicated that rating with a scintillating display that simply blew a hapless Antrim away at Pairc Elser last Sunday. That said though they would not want to get too carried away or become complacent that they are the best around as there were some aspects of this performance that left something to be desired particularly ...