Rory Beggan: 'We're starting to see our footballers play now'

As the new rules are settling in Rory Beggan is happy to see forwards shining again. 

NEW RULES: Rory Beggan is encouraged to continue going forward even with the changes to the new rules. Pic: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile

Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan says he's still being 'encouraged' to get forward and has vowed to continue to provide attacking support.

Last week's adjustment to football's rules, killing off the possibility of 12-v-11 overloads in the opposition's half, looked like it might spell the end of the roving 'keeper.

But Beggan made it clear with his performance against Meath in Navan, when he regularly crossed the half-way line and set up several scores, that it's business as usual for him.

Twice in the first-half alone he helped create scores, for Ryan McAnespie and Jack McCarron, while at one stage in the second-half score-poaching All-Star Conor McCarthy stayed back so Beggan could attack.

Tyrone's Niall Morgan was even more adventurous for Tyrone against Donegal, despite his team gaining no numerical advantage from the 'keeper going forward.

"I'm being encouraged to do it," said Beggan, who explained Monaghan's thinking. "We have 15 decent footballers on the pitch who can do it, attack. Maybe there's not as much pressure on me to go up each time but if the lads want me to go up, I'll go up.

"We're confident that the back four will do a job, whether it's me or whoever. The fact that I can't touch the ball in my own half means I nearly become irrelevant whenever we need to control our attack. So when I get up, I'm not coming up to keep the ball. I want to come up and contribute and try to get the ball forward.

"I think that's where the whole thing of 'keepers coming up was creating that bit of controversy. Some 'keepers were coming up and taking the sting out of the game. We want to contribute to this."

Beggan noted that Armagh's Ethan Rafferty, a key figure for them when 12-v-11 attacks were permitted, was replaced last weekend. Dublin may also have had the new rule in mind when they handed 43-year-old Stephen Cluxton his first start of the year.

But Beggan said he still sees real value in 'keepers coming forward.

"I think so, it just depends," he said. "I know Niall Morgan and Ethan Rafferty were the main men (up to now). I saw Ethan Rafferty got dropped but I still think he could have offered something to them on Saturday night. I think other 'keepers can as well.

"It's not just about coming up and giving a handy pass. You want to come up and contribute. Myself, I think we got a couple of contributions from me coming forward against Meath, and other times we didn't."

Beggan said the broad suite of playing rules has lent to more exciting and enjoyable games this year.

Monaghan appear to be thriving, hitting Meath for 1-29 and placing themselves on the brink of an immediate return to Division 1 after relegation last year. A draw against Down at home this Sunday will guarantee promotion and a loss may even suffice.

"We're starting to see our forwards again and we were losing that," said Beggan. "I suppose me as a traditionalist that likes to watch Gaelic football, it's nice to see forwards really playing, it's nice to be one on one a lot of the time. But at the end of the day, we're starting to see our footballers play now. People saw Meath and us play last year, in the Championship. It probably wasn't a great game to watch. Or us and Louth, but we served up two really good games the last couple of weeks when we met again."

As for the prospect of returning to Division 1, where Monaghan resided for a decade before relegation in 2024, Beggan welcomed it.

"We want to be in the likes of Tralee and Croke Park, playing in these places," he said. "That was our main aim, to get back up. The lads will learn in a top division. They'll learn against the likes of Con O'Callaghan and Shane Walsh and David Clifford. That's where we want to be."