Injuries to Darren Hughes and Conor McManus spoil Monaghan stroll against Fermanagh
3 July 2021; Stephen O'Hanlon of Monaghan in action against Stephen McGullion of Fermanagh during the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship Quarter-Final match between Monaghan and Fermanagh at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones, Monaghan. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Look, you’ll have heard about it by now, might even have watched the minimal highlights of this non-contest, so let’s proceed straight to the injury updates for Monaghan, as Darren Hughes and Conor McManus both had to leave the field during their leisurely win at Clones.
“Lookit, both of them are too early to tell really, but they would both be sources of concern,” said Monaghan selector David McCague, who is representing Seamus McEnaney on a semi-permanent basis now it seems.
“Both were impact injuries, both of them were really heavy injuries and there is a bit of swelling with both players at the moment. I see Conor on crutches in there. So that’s going to be a real concern to see how it manifests itself and how serious it is.”
McCague was, by and large, pleased by what he witnessed on the pitch, though Monaghan had the outcome of this game sewn up even before the first break for a sip of water.
Playing with two sweepers in Luke Flanagan and James McMahon, Fermanagh’s gameplan was almost twee in its’ adherence to old-fashioned defensive values.
The elite teams have long figured this out. You keep the attack wide and high, you run clever angles with basketball cuts and you keep piling the bodies forward.
Four of the Monaghan back seven including goalkeeper Rory Beggan finished on the scoresheet. It was another, Kieran Duffy who let fly with a shot at goal that Sean McNally did brilliantly to parry, but Monaghan full-forward Jack McCarron tossed a couple of opponents to get palming the loose ball to the net to leave it 1-4 to 0-2.
And after that really, it was a matter for Monaghan to nurse themselves through the rest of the game without picking up injuries. Best-laid plans and all that…
Fermanagh offered so little it was somewhat painful. There is promise in some young players such as McNally, Josh Largo-Ellis, Flanagan and others that formed part of the St Michael’s Hogan Cup-winning team, but their development has been stunted by the lack of a proper league, a Dr McKenna Cup, and the ridiculous lack of a backdoor in this years’ Championship.
Manager Ryan McMenamin was asked about some players that have opted out over the last while, including Ryan Jones and Tomás Corrigan. His response was blunt.
“Look, it is up to themselves. Lee and Che Cullen are away working,” he explained.
“But at the same time, I am not going to chase anybody to come back. I have enough on my plate without going around chasing boys to play for Fermanagh.”
J McCarron (1-2, 0-2f), C McManus (0-4, 0-2f, 1x’mark’), A Mulligan (0-3), M Bannigan (0-2), C Walshe (0-2, 1x’mark’), C Boyle, R Wylie, K O’Connell, D Ward, K Lavelle, N Kearns (0-1 each), R Beggan (0-1, 1x’45’), C McCarthy (0-1, 1x’mark’)
S Quigley (0-7, 5f, 1x’45’), A Breen (0-2), J Cassidy, C Corrigan, U Kelm, D McGurn, J Largo-Ellis (0-1 each)
R Beggan; K Duffy, C Boyle, R Wylie; K O’Connell, D Ward, R McAnespie; D Hughes, K Lavelle; S O’Hanlon, C McCarthy, M Bannigan; A Mulligan, J McCarron, C McManus
N Kearns for D Hughes (33m), C Walshe for McCarron (51m), S Carey for O’Hanlon (56m), K Hughes for McCarthy (63m), F Kelly for O’Connell (68m), K McMenamin for Lavelle (77m)
S McNally; K Connor, J Cassidy, L Flanagan; D McCusker, J McMahon, K McDonnell; S McGullion, E Donnelly; C Corrigan, T Bogue, J Largo-Ellis; D Leonard, D McGurn, S Quigley
A Breen for McDonnell (26m), R O’Callaghan for McGurn (42m), S Cassidy for McManus (59m), T Bogue for McMahon (65m), M McCauley for McGullion (65m).
Barry Cassidy (Derry)
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