Articles in the Sports News Category

Colm Shalvey reports 2021 promises a return of a busy sporting schedule further down the line, albeit with the exact calendar still in some doubt. In the short term, the country’s return to Level 5 restrictions of the Plan for Living with Covid-19 means the beginning of 2021 is a bleak one for the sporting landscape. Elite sports are permitted to continue behind closed doors, amid a national surge in Covid-19 cases, but the likes of golf clubs and gyms have had to close once again. The GAA delayed the return ...

COLM SHALVEY REPORTS Monaghan have an Ulster MFC semi-final to prepare for in the new year after a convincing win over Antrim last Sunday saw them end another calendar year unbeaten. A composed performance at a sundrenched Corrigan Park gave Monaghan their 12th consecutive win in the Ulster MFC, although they will need to clear another couple of hurdles if they are to secure a third consecutive provincial title at minor level. The absence of a form guide made last weekend’s game a difficult one to predict, but Antrim’s Ulster league ...

JOHN GRAHAM There is no doubt about it -2020 has been a year unlike any other, but for some GAA people it turned out to be memorale amid uncertainty, tragedy and lockdowns. We salute the lucky ones who received deserved recognition in the 2020 Northern Standard Newspaper/ Monaghan GAA Annual Awards which were unable to be hosted this year due to Covid-19. Senior Footballer: Damien McArdle (Scotstown): A consistent performer with Scotstown, mostly in defence, but also in a number of other roles, this man, who made his championship debut ...

Farney poised for Ulster championship restart COLM SHALVEY REPORTS Just over two months after their dramatic preliminary-round win over Cavan, Monaghan’s minor footballers finally get to resume their Ulster MFC title defence this Sunday when they take on antrim at Corrigan Park in Belfast. Monaghan’s bid for a third consecutive provincial title at minor level began in the middle of october when they came from six points down at half-time to pip Cavan with a late Stephen Mooney goal in Clones, but that remains the only game yet to be played in ...

PLENTY OF REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL FOR LADIES Silverware proved elusive for the Monaghan senior ladies last Saturday, but they can still reflect on a progressive campaign. after games that were decided by razorthin margins against Tipperary and Galway in their all-ireland SFC group, Monaghan saw another championship clash go down to the wire against armagh, who held the edge as they claimed their first Ulster title since 2015. Having fallen to a heavy defeat in the Ulster semi-finals last year, Monaghan closed the gap considerably this time against an armagh ...

Ulster title up for grabs for Monaghan COLM SHALVEY REPORTS A first Ulster Ladies’ SFC title since 2016 is the prize on offer for Monaghan when they take on Armagh behind closed doors in Clones on Saturday. It’s a first provincial final appearance since 2017 for Monaghan, who are up against last year’s runners-up Armagh. Both counties enjoyed progressive All- Ireland SFC campaigns, with Monaghan missing out on qualification from a razorthin group by the narrowest of margins after edging out Tipperary and falling agonisingly short against Galway. Armagh went one step ...

COLM SHALVEY Despite everything that 2020 has sprung and just two weeks after a remarkable day of provincial finals, the All-Ireland SFC decider will be between Dublin and Mayo for the fourth time in eight years after a pair of one-sided semi-finals at Croke Park. The pundits attempting to build up Saturday’s clash between Cavan and Dublin are at pains to point out that the Ulster champions are there on merit, but they are under no illusions about the task at hand for Mickey Graham’s side. Peter Canavan on Sky Sports ...

HAPPY DAYS: Clodagh Kelly from Smithborough, who won the world I.J.K.A Karate championships in Cork, is back training after lockdown. PICTURE © PHILIP FITZPATRICK

COLM SHALVEY Peter Donnelly (PICTURED) has returned to the Tyrone senior football set-up just over a year after joining Séamus McEnaney’s back-room team in Monaghan. The addition of the Coalisland man, who joined Ulster Rugby as Academy Athletic Development Coach in 2019, was seen as a coup for Monaghan, but Donnelly is now back in the fold in Tyrone after answering a call from Feargal Logan, who has joined Brian Dooher in taking the reins from Mickey Harte. Donnelly spoke to Tyrone’s Teamtalkmag on Monday night, when he said: “I’m thrilled ...

Cavan win the Anglo Celt Cup against the odds Colm Shalvey reports Far from the traditions of a bustling Clones in the (relative) heat of July, the 2020 Ulster SFC Final involves sitting at home in front of a screen, but to quote one of the most banal cliches in politics, “we are where we are”. The glut of sport available on our television screens mean that by the time 4pm on Sunday rolls around, much of the weekend has already been spent on the couch. Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final wins for Galway ...