Conor McManus: Ulster title only a stepping stone for Monaghan

For all the hurdles they’ve got over and boxes they’ve ticked in the last two and a half seasons, something massive still eludes Monaghan.

A win in an All-Ireland SFC quarter-final is the obvious target for them now, after capturing a second Ulster title in three years against Donegal on Sunday.

That next step has proven to be insurmountable so far, surrendering a winning position against Tyrone in 2013 and then suffering a 17-point demolition by Dublin last year, unable to do themselves justice just a week after an extra-time qualifier win over Kildare. They were never going to be content to just slope off into the sunset with one Ulster and this Monaghan outfit are hungry to hit new targets and keep raising the bar.