Monaghan were absolute value for a commanding victory over Tyrone in Castleblayney, making amends for their narrow opening day loss away to Galway.

Our writers pick out eight talking points from the opening weekend of Allianz League action.

Rory Beggan says Seamus McEnaney is a “positive presence” in the Monaghan dressing-room and is excited about playing under him for the first time.

Éamonn Fitzmaurice believes the three rule changes introduced to Gaelic football at the GAA's Special Congress have the potential to improve the game.

Having twice been shortlisted for the top individual award, six-time All-Ireland winning captain Stephen Cluxton is in the shake-up to claim his first footballer of the year as one of Dublin’s 13 PwC All-Star nominations.

Dublin are on the brink of history and already have seven SFC wins to their name this summer, and John Fogarty reflects that in his August All-Stars. But how do the other counties fare?

Tyrone star Niall Morgan and former Armagh number one Paul Hearty have ridiculed a proposal to ban passing the ball back to the goalkeeper.

Passing to the goalkeeper in Gaelic football may become a thing of the past after Special Congress in October, GAA president John Horan has revealed.

Is Shaun Patton best-placed to succeed Stephen Cluxton as the game’s most influential goalkeeper?

On June 17, 2012, Waterford goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe (affectionately known as Soky) spotted an opportunity.

Monaghan squeezed through to the second round of the All-Ireland SFC Qualifier series with a nervy four-point win over a dogged Fermanagh side at Clones.

After a bevy of provincial underage success, classy Cavan showed signs they might be coming of age at senior level as they cruised into the semi-finals of the Ulster SFC semi-final after a dour derby duel at Kingspan Breffni.

Cavan sprang a shock with a four points Ulster SFC quarter-final victory over neighbours Monaghan at Kingspan Breffni Park.

The sight of thousands of Mayo young supporters on the field at MacHale Park after yesterday’s win over Monaghan was a timely reminder of just how popular the county’s footballers have become in recent years.

Mayo 3-15 Monaghan 1-18

Another rousing finish, another league win.

Tralee may have provided the antidote on Saturday night but the poison that exists in Gaelic football isn’t going away on the basis of what transpired in Inniskeen yesterday.

Anthony Cunningham hailed his side’s courage and heart as the 2017 Connacht champions surprised Monaghan at Dr Hyde Park.

No harm for Monaghan to remind Dublin that they have their number at these early junctures. No harm for the champions either to be told that in this season of all seasons there is going to be gristle. The physical soreness they feel today after this niggly clash will serve them well for what lies ahead.

Such has been Rory Beggan’s total focus on Sunday’s Ulster club final, his club manager wasn’t even aware he was missing the All-Stars trip to Philadelphia this weekend.

Rory Beggan’s converted free in the fifth minute of stoppage time sealed a dramatic comeback for Monaghan champions Scotstown and put them through to the AIB Ulster club SFC final.

Your morning's headlines.

His name was at the centre of this week’s frivolous All-Star arguments, but newly-crowned All-Star goalkeeper Rory Beggan is keeping himself at the top of the agenda by scoring an audacious point from play in Scotstown’s Ulster club win over Burren on Sunday.

Dear Rory,

Scotstown survived a black card for Kieran Hughes, 13 first-half wides and a penalty shout at the death to eventually squeeze past Burren, but if luck was a finite resource, they can expect little of it in the upcoming semi-final against Eoghan Ruadh Coleraine.

Conor McManus has insisted that fellow All-Star Rory Beggan didn’t need to apologise for going for glory during their narrow All-Ireland semi-final defeat.

Halloween night is over. No more apple bobbing or scary stories or playing pranks allowed. The serious announcement of the All-Stars. An All-Star — a principal performer during the 2018 GAA Senior football season. They have been announced, writes John Divilly.

All-Star nominee Rory Beggan has admitted he suffered a ‘rush of blood’ and ‘immediately regretted’ his decision to take a pot shot at glory against Tyrone.

Monaghan’s Darren Hughes has labelled as “embarrassing”, some of the proposed changes to Gaelic football that the GAA’s Standing Committee on the Playing Rules have floated last week.

Goalkeepers of the Year

Regardless of the final, 2018 will not go down as a vintage year for football, writes Paddy Kelly.

Well, I have to say that the Tyrone-Monaghan match was one of the poorest All-Ireland semi-finals I’ve seen in a long, long time, writes Oisin McConville.

The modern Monaghan success story is down to careful husbandry of resources and a club structure that delivers games, according to goalkeeper Rory Beggan.

Newbridge or nowhere? That’s how it’s shaping up again for Kildare only this time they’ll have nowhere left to turn in the championship if they don’t beat Galway in Newbridge next weekend.

Monaghan cruised along in fourth gear and still claimed a 13-point win at their ease to set up a tussle with either Roscommon, Laois or Cork in the final round of qualifiers.

Waterford 0-9 Monaghan 5-21

Monaghan 1-18 Tyrone 1-16: Typical, really. Murphy’s Law.

The word all last week was that Tyrone might have been happier playing this one in Clones.

Monaghan 1-16 Donegal 1-10: Monaghan are safe in Division One, for another season, while Donegal will have a final chance at survival on Sunday, when they host Mayo in a winner-takes-all contest in Ballybofey.

Smiles all round after this encounter even if Kerry’s were more of the wrier variety having been on the wrong end of a harsh penalty call.

Monaghan 0-12 Mayo 0-13: One point sourced from a disputed free was all that separated Monaghan and Mayo in Clones yesterday and Malachy O’Rourke was of the opinion that his men may have edged it had the crest on their chests been different.

An injury-time point from Paddy Durcan earned Mayo a hard-earned two league points in Clones on Sunday against a Monaghan side that ended the afternoon with just 12 players on the pitch.