Armagh fall at the first hurdle

Monaghan 0-13

Like Limerick earlier in the afternoon, Monaghan weren’t fazed by big reputations and took the most surprising scalp of the day.

Nobody expected Armagh to lose their Ulster title on this damp day in Clones.

Some bookies were offering odds of 1/10 on the All-Ireland champions, even though Monaghan were the form side coming into this, having won four on the bounce while Armagh lost their last four.

One of the most heartening things about the championship is personified in Monaghan’s star forward Paul Finlay.

His accurate free-taking made him hero of the hour, with six of his frees coming in a tense second half.

This morning, Finlay will be taken from a national star back to his student life, as he begins his exams at Sligo IT.

But the way he held his nerve throughout the second half exemplified the Monaghan spirit.

After Damien Freeman got dismissed, rather harshly, for a second bookable offence, most people inside Clones felt the tide had turned in Armagh’s favour.

Monaghan footballers didn’t believe that for a second.

While Finlay will get most of the individual plaudits, there was performances across the field that illustrated Colm Coyle has instilled in Monaghan the same will his mentor did for the great Meath teams he played for.

It was a game the All-Ireland champions never got into. They led only once, when Diarmuid Marsden scored his second and final point in the 15th minute, but even at that stage, it looked like they were troubled by Monaghan’s relentless hunger.

Joe Kernan said earlier in the week that hunger would be an issue.

And they turned out to prophetic words.

Armagh were still reeling from the hammer-blow of losing their influential captain Kieran McGeeney before the throw-in. McGeeney had been struggling with a hamstring injury all week and was unable to get fit in time.

Oisín McConville and Ronan Clarke, two of their most important forwards, were also confined to the bench.

Their absence created a gaping hole down the Orchard spine.

McConville was called into action just a minute before the interval, after Armagh had kicked eight wides, but he was leaden-footed from his time on the side-lines.

Indeed, Armagh’s attack barely ignited for the entire game.

Only Marsden did any damage and even his threat was snuffed out in the second half.

Although both the ball and grass were slippery, Monaghan adapted better to the conditions .

Thomas Freeman and Nicholas Corrigan had nailed two points before Armagh even stumbled from the blocks.

Marsden’s score in the seventh minute paved the way for Armagh’s only period of dominance, an eight-minute spell which saw Marsden kick them in front, 0-3 to 0-2, but Finlay equalised with a free in the 17th minute, won by the persistence of Ray Ronaghan.

With three of their biggest stars missing, Armagh looked decidedly limited.

As Monaghan stretched into a lead, the scores seemed to come from defensive mistakes that were not a part of the Orchard game last year.

The challengers were full value for their 0-6 to 0-4 half-time lead.

How different it might have been had Steven McDonnell being on form.

The corner-forward was the critical cog in Armagh’s adventure last summer, but he was misfiring yesterday.

A clever piece of play, involving Paul McGrane and Barry O’Hagan, released McDonnell in the 20th minute.

Rounding the keeper, McDonnell had the goal at his mercy, but his shot rebounded off the post.

It was the game’s first real turning point and seemed to rattle the Armagh players.

Finlay then turned the second half into his own private show.

He opened the scoring, two minutes after the interval, with a lovely, curling free and sealed this famous victory with another free, two minutes before the end.

The boot of Finlay and Ronaghan built up a three-point lead, 0-8 to 0-5, before McDonnell finally managed to slot the ball over the bar.

Then came the moment when Monaghan dreams almost disintegrated.

Damien Freeman was booked for the second time.

Many thought that would be the end of brave Monaghan, especially after Tony McEntee finished off Armagh’s finest piece of football in the 49th minute with a wonderful point to bring Armagh within a point.

However, Monaghan didn’t panic.

Finlay scored Monaghan’s final five points, some from acute angles as Armagh’s Ulster reign simply ran out of steam.

The decision by McConville to go for goal, when 25 yards out and Armagh just three points behind, in the 58th minute had a sign of finality about it.

Philip Loughran came off the bench and tacked on two points to Armagh’s total but it wasn’t enough.

Scorers for Monaghan: P Finlay(0-8, all frees), R Ronaghan (0-2)T Freeman, M Slowey, N Corrigan(0-1 each)

Armagh: D Marsden, P Loughran(0-2 each), P McKeever(0-2, both frees) T McEntee, S McDonnell (0-1 each).

ARMAGH: P Hearty; A Mallon, J McNulty, F bellew, A O'Rourke, K McGeeney, A McCann; J Toal, P McGrane; P McKeever, J McEntee, T McEntee, S McDonnell, B O'Hagan, D Marsden.

Subs: O McConville for O'Hagan(34 mins), R Clarke for McKeever(47 mins), P Loughran for Toal(57 mins).

MONAGHAN: G Murphy; V Corey, D McKenna, P McKenna, D Duffy, J Coyle, JP Mone; E Lennon, J Hughes; N Corrigan, T Freeman, P Finlay, M Slowey, R Ronaghan, D Freeman.

Subs. A Rooney for Corrigan (61 mins), R Woods for Slowey(64 mins)

Referee: M Curley(Galway)