Victory ‘twice as nice’ for boss O’Rourke

‘Twice as nice’ was Malachy O’Rourke’s verdict of Monaghan’s second Ulster final win over Donegal in three years.

Echoing Conor McManus’s words on accepting the Anglo-Celt Cup, he said: “It is sweeter. The first time around, it was nearly a shock to a lot of people. We felt we could win it, but there was amazing exhilaration and celebration. This is more about fulfilment.

“It was just proving to ourselves and proving to everyone that we could come back and beat a quality team like Donegal. Delighted to be able to prove that.”