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Challenge match tonight in Parnell - Dublin 4-14 Monaghan 1-15

Monaghan team

Mark Keogh
Kieran Duffy
Darren Hughes
Colin Walsh
Vinny Corey,
Dessie Mone,
Eoin Duffy;
Eoin Lennon,
Neil McAdam;
Dick Clerkin,
Dan McKenna,
Mark Downey;
Bernard O'Brien,
Paul Finlay,
Conor McManus.

Subs: C McGuinness for McManus (h-t), S Gollogly for O'Brien (h-t), B McKenna for Downey (45), K Galligan for Mone (50), J Turley for Clerkin, M McNally for Walshe (both 50), K Hughes for McAdam (64), C Hanratty for McKenna (65).

Championship team will start with 12 of them for certain. Corner forward position will be between McGuiness, O'Brien and possibly Dan McKenna may even line out there. Though McKenna could well hold the centre forward slot. Left half back is a toss up between one of Galligan, McNally, Eoin Duffy.

K. Hughes for McAdam - was that K.Hughes, scotstown or blayney?

Conor McManus - seen Conor at the Take Me Out event in the Hillgrove and he was on crutches. Unsure if he will be fit to play.

Did somebody literally 'take him out'?

LOL  . Seriously though, I think Conor came down badly on his ankle in a league game with the Harps.

On another note, Vinny Corey is back and flying fit so likely to start against Tyrone. Tommy Freeman also played at the weekend so I'm really not sure what the story is with Tommy. Is he just playing with Magheracloone until he goes or did he manage to get a job at home and is staying?

I'll make an effort at predicting the Monaghan team

1. Mark Keogh, Sean McDermotts
2. Kieran Duffy, Latton
3. Darren Hughes, Scotstown
4. Colin Walsh, Doohamlet
5. Conor Galligan, Monaghan Harps
6. Dessie Mone, Clontibret
7. David Hughes, Monaghan Harps
8. Neil McAdam, Monaghan Harps
9. Eoin Lennon, Latton
10. Dick Clerkin, Currin
11. Mark Downey, Carrickmacross
12. James Turley, Scotstown
13. Conor McManus, Clontibret
14. Paul Finlay, Ballybay
15. Chris McGuinness, Ballybay

Some cavaets on this through:

Vinny Corey - been injured for a while so unsure of his fitness, but if he's fit, he could well start at wing back in place of either of the Harps lads.
Conor McManus - seen Conor at the Take Me Out event in the Hillgrove and he was on crutches. Unsure if he will be fit to play.
Gavin Doogan - was in great form before his ankle injury. Again unsure if he will be back from it for the championship match. A cast iron certainty to start if is 100% fit and ahead of James Turley.
Tommy Freeman - will he, won't he go? Who knows.
Kieran Hughes (Scotstown) is only back training with his club so very unlikely to be back for the championship panel. A pity as I think he would have nailed down a wing back slot this year.

There would be one or two wildcard selections: Daniel McKenna (Truagh),  Bernard O'Brien (Latton), Stephen Gollogly (Carrickmacross) and Mark McNally (Carrickmacross) are all showing good form at club level and in challenge games at present. One or two of them could get a run from the bench as subs.

This win for Monaghan is as welcome as it was unexpected. Given the large number of regulars unavailable and the inexperience of the replacements, supporters expectations were very low. Despite the encouraging win and the pleasing aspect of some good individual performances I don't think Monaghan fans should go now expecting league domination!

Division 1 survival is important in these players development and I hope they can achieve it. When some of the more established players return I would hope that the extra competition for places will mean there team is stronger for it. One of the criticisims of the Banty during his tenure was he would often stick to the same core of players and not show enough faith in new comers. We often had a shallow squad as a result with maybe last year an exception where Banty at least gave it a try. I am glad Eamonn McEneaney gave the chance to the new players.

Mark Keogh if he continues as he has done so far will finally solve the goal keeping problem.

I am hopefully of the potential of Kieran Duffy and David Hughes. Cormac Brady, Drew Wylie and Ciaran Hughes all looked of the pace at this level. It was their first starts so maybe it would be a bit harsh to judge them on that, but the jury is still out on them. I was impressed by the graft of Neil McAdam in midfield and he took his point well. Big Benny McKenna and Frank Caufield just don't cut it in this sector at this level. I have seen enough of the latter two at club level over the few years and they don't even stand out at club level.

James Turley and Gavan Doogan got through a mountain for work which I would expect from both of them. Don't expect too many scores from either of them though. Mark Downey was the biggest surprise. When he first appeared in Monaghan colours 2 years ago, he looked lightweight and out of his depth. But he's come one in leaps and bounds and he added guile, creativity and tacked on two nice points. Chris McGuinness, well from when i seen him at minor level, he had bags of potential and was great to see him play well yesterday. Conor Galligan was very impressive when he came on.

Still, there was many more positives than negatives. I would hope Dermot Malone gets a run out as he's a quality player. I'd like to see Mark McNally get a chance at half back during the league ( i think he's injured at the moment?).

Armagh will be a very tough game, but hopefully the lads can up their game more for it.

Good to see sour grapes alive and well in monaghan
Suck it up maguire 

It's not sour grapes at all - the result of a McKenna Cup match means little more than the result of a challenge match. If it was the Championship or even the league then of course I'd hate to lose to Cavan.

I was just considering whether McEneaney got any value out of the games.

In 2010 Monaghan's results in the McKenna Cup were hardly any better than this years results. But last year we at least managed to find 4 players who were definetly up to the standard (Colin Walsh, Kieran Hughes, Dermot Malone and Colm Grennan). This year, I'm struggling to see what players we found from the competition.... Mark Keogh in goals seems like he'll push for a starting chp spot, and I'd hope Gavin Doogan makes the breakthrough this year. But a goalie and one outfield player doesn't give much optimisim.

Perhaps the impact will arrive from the lads who were playing for the universities and colleges

e.g. Cormac Brady is centre back at UCD
David Hughes is captain of DIT
Conor Galligan is corner back at UUJ
Chris McGuinness is playing for DCU

Similar to Cavan, Monaghan football is littered with what might have beens!

One lad, Paul McArdle, from my own club was repeatadly asked to join the Monghan U-21's and seniors by Banty. A player of immense potential and ability but with a serious discipline problem and suspect temprement.

Other Monaghan players who sadly never filfullied their potential

Peter Duffy 
Darren Swift
Rory Mone
Vincent Martin
Joe Coyle
Sean Downey
Gregory Flanagan

A lastly, there is always some young lad from your wouth who had the world at his feet. Monaghan used to have a juvenille player of the year award (discontinued some years ago) but a look at the list showed most went onto respresent Monaghan at variuous inter county levels and with various degrees of success. But there was one lad in my class at school who won that award. Rory McGuinness - he was just pure natural ability and at juvenille level racked up big score tallies from midfield and powered his club to all available trophies. Huge Potential. By the age of 18 he wasn't even playing football anymore. Just a lack of motivation. I'm sure each county has there own tale of someone like this.

Who are favourites?  Would probably expect Doohamlet to win, played both Doohamlet and Lisnaskea in recent years (abliet friendlies), beat Skea easy enough but got well beat by Doohamlet.

Think Doohamlet won Junior Ulster a few years ago??

Doohamlet didn't win Ulster Junior, they got beaten in the final by Drumgoon of Cavan.

This will be a good close final. I believe Lisnaskea are regarded as one of the coming forces in fermanagh and some fermanagh folk I have spoken too regard them as senior championship contenders. They look like a side sprinkled with lads who have played inter county football at some level (senior, u-21, minor).

I think the skea's key players would be the two Little's, Daniel Killie, Johnny Woods, Mark McKenna, Niall McElroy and Brian Og Maguire. Would anybody have an opinion about lisnaskea's team?

Doohamlet are one of monaghan's traditionally smallest clubs. In 1999 they played in Division 4 and spent most of the previous decades in division 3. They rose steadily over the past decade and spent the last 3 years in senior football, reaching the senior league semi-finals in 2 of those years. A bad year last year lead to them being relegated but they have regrouped well this year. This years team is virtually the same as the teams that competed so well in senior.
Key to success this year has been the addition of ex-Armagh manager Peter McDonnell to the coaching of the team. They are a physical, very fit, free flowing, experienced side. Weaknesses are a lack of height around midfield and a serious disciplinary problem - they've collected a huge number of bookings and quite a few sending offs over the year.

Key players are current Monaghan players Colin Walsh & Ted Duffy, former monaghan players Shane and Ciaran McManus, Niall Jim Connolly, Glen Comiskey and Ollie Hughes who've played for Monaghan at underage levels.

I feel that Lisnaskea probably haven't been overly tested in their run to the final or during the fermanagh championship either, playing teams beneath their level. Doohamlet will be their first serious test and they have enough experience and quality to maybe edge it by a point.