IT’S THE first showdown of the day in Croke Park as the Allianz football league finals take centre stage.
Jim McGuinness takes his Donegal side into action against Malachy O’Rourke’s Monaghan.
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Hello and welcome along to a sunny Croke Park for the start of today’s double-header. Both Donegal and Monaghan are on the pitch now undergoing their warm-up’s before the start of the Division 2 decider.
Here’s the Donegal team that’ll start:
Paul Durcan; Eamonn McGee, Neil McGee, Karl Lacey; Frank McGlynn, Leo McLoone, Anthony Thompson; Rory Kavanagh, Martin McElhinney; Christy Toye, Ryan McHugh, Odhrán Mac Niallais; Colm McFadden, Michael Murphy, Patrick McBrearty.
And here’s the Monaghan team that is selected to start:
Rory Beggan; Kieran Duffy, Drew Wylie, Fintan Kelly; Dessie Mone, Vinny Corey, Karl O’Connell; Owen Lennon, Paul Finlay; Kieran Hughes, Stephen Gollogly, Chris McGuinness; Dermot Malone, Jack McCarron, Conor McManus.
Changes on both sides. Donegal bring in Luke Keaney for Leo McLoone. While Monaghan draft in Colin Walshe, Darren Hughes and Paudie McKenna for Karl O’Connell, Chris McGuinness and Jack McCarron.
Donegal 0-1 Monaghan 0-0: 1 mins – First blood to Donegal. Colm McFadden and Karl Lacey combine to pop the ball up for Patrick McBrearty who shoots instantly and the ball touches the post before falling over the bar.
Donegal 0-2 Monaghan 0-0: 2 mins – Donegal’s lead is doubled through a McFadden free.
Goal chance for Monaghan but Luke Keaney does brilliantly to flick the ball away from Kieran Hughes.
Donegal 0-2 Monaghan 0-1: 8 mins – Rory Beggan comes upfield to boot over the resultant ’45 for Monaghan.
Donegal 0-2 Monaghan 0-2: 9 mins – Hawkeye confirms that Monaghan have drawn level through Darren Hughes. Great turnover by Paudie McKenna on Rory Kavanagh to instigate the move that resulted in that point.
Donegal 0-3 Monaghan 0-2: 13 mins – McFadden knocks over a free to restore Donegal’s lead.
Monaghan 0-3 Donegal 0-3: 15 mins – Darren Hughes breaks through the Donegal cover for another splendid point.
Monaghan 0-4 Donegal 0-3: 16 mins – Now Monaghan go ahead after a lovely curling kick from the right wing by Paul Finlay.
Monaghan 0-5 Donegal 0-3: 18 mins – Monaghan moving well now with Conor McManus kicking them into a two-point lead.
Monaghan 0-6 Donegal 0-3: 19 mins – Great interplay by Monaghan as they prise open the Donegal rearguard and McKenna shoots over in style.
Monaghan 0-7 Donegal 0-3: 20 mins – Monaghan’s shooting has been exemplary. Dessie Mone floats over another great score.
Monaghan 0-7 Donegal 0-4: 21 mins – Donegal respond with Michael Murphy blasting over a fierce drive.
Monaghan 0-7 Donegal 0-5: 22 mins – Now Murphy points a free to cut the deficit Donegal face.
Monaghan 0-8 Donegal 0-5: 24 mins – Another Monaghan point for McKenna and another score where a Monaghan player hit the ball straight on from the outside of his right boot. It’s been excellent to watch in this first-half.
Subs: Jim McGuinness isn’t hanging around here. He’s whipped off Christy Toye and Martin McElhinney for Donegal with Mark McHugh and Neil Gallagher shunted into the action.
Monaghan 0-9 Donegal 0-5: 28 mins – Kieran Hughes fetches a long ball, turns Eamonn McGee before tearing in on goal and unleashing a rasping shot over the bar. He was certainly going for goal but had to be content with a point.
Monaghan 0-10 Donegal 0-5: 30 mins – Magnificent point by Finlay stretches Monaghan’s lead to five points.
Monaghan 0-10 Donegal 0-6: 32 mins – Belter of a point from Michael Murphy as he bangs the ball over a free from 45 yards.
Monaghan 0-10 Donegal 0-7: 34 mins – Gap is down to three now with McFadden swinging over a free.
Monaghan 0-10 Donegal 0-8: 38 mins – Odhrán Mac Niallais has just lofted over a fine left-foot point for Donegal.
Monaghan 0-11 Donegal 0-8: 42 mins – And after that dust-up, Finlay bags a free for Monaghan.
Neil McGee was shown a yellow card as well after that altercation. It’s getting feisty between these teams.
Monaghan 0-11 Donegal 1-8: 53 mins – Michael Murphy smashes the ball to the net past Rory Beggan.
Monaghan 0-12 Donegal 1-8: 55 mins – Important point for Monaghan as they respond to that goal. It’s captain Conor McManus who skips in from the left wing and nabs a fine score.
Monaghan 1-12 Donegal 1-8: 57 mins – Big score from Monaghan. It’s Kieran Hughes who palms the ball to the net after a move that started with Rory Beggan in goal fielding an under hit shot by Colm McFadden. Monaghan swiftly counter-attack with several players involved in a hand-passing move that featured great support play.
Subs: Changes on both sides with Darach O’Connor on for Ryan McHugh on the Donegal team while Chris McGuinness replaces Darach O’Connor on the Monaghan side.
Monaghan 1-12 Donegal 1-9: 60 mins – Donegal not going away with McFadden grabbing his first point from play today.
Monaghan 1-13 Donegal 1-9: 61 mins – Dick Clerkin charges through the Donegal defence, shakes off challenges and points at ease into Hill 16.
Monaghan 1-14 Donegal 1-9: 63 mins – Great bit of work by Monaghan corner-back Fintan Kelly to keep possession near the end line and spray the ball back for Chris McGuinness who darts past a couple of Donegal defenders before pointing.
Hard not to fancy Monaghan here. Seven minutes left, five points up and with a man advantage.
Cork are so bad, Lord
Clare to win the all ireland
Is it tidy towns you are on about.
Wolf , donal og cusack was not wrong when he showed the Graf on the Sunday game last year of where cork hurling is at the moment , that was atrocious from a county that has been so resoundingly competitive for years , as we always said in tipp a good year was the hay saved and cork bet , not the case anymore unfortunately from a tipp this sad to see as it is not good for the sport in general
7 points down with 10 mins to go and they’re STILL using a sweeper what are the management thinking!?
Terrible decision to use a sweeper for all the game
The tactic seems to have been to concentrate on keeping the Tipp margin of victory as low as possible..
That way the Cork public might not turn against the County Board.
It’s all about self preservation.
As a Galway man I’m worried how that cork team beat us in the relegation decider.
Not looking good when it looks like Kerry can outplay Cork in both codes.
That was the worst Cork team, led by the worst Cork management in living memory. Not help by having the worst County Board in Ireland.
It’s grand. Frank Murphy et al will have their legacy with the new stadium and that’s what really matters.
Absolutely sickening stuff….
Probably call it ‘Murphy Park!
Cork were terrible, Couldn’t even pass the ball to each other and hit numerous aimless balls down the park.Tipp won the majority of 50/50s and dominated all the scuffles on the park. There’s a long road ahead for Cork hurling as this group of players are not be up to the standard required.
Worst cork performance in my living memory nit one player would get on the the team of 10 years ago
How did we get so bad?
When you depend on decent guys from junior and intermediate clubs your in big trouble the senior clubs in Cork are of such poor standard it’s amazing we can even limit Tipp to 9 points. The upside is we will have a New state of the art stadium for other Munster counties to play in come championship time and we will have plenty stewards . In serious grief at seeing this latest capitulation and no sign of any light for the road ahead
Ye are on a par with Wexford I’m afraid.
On way down in train, Cork have become the “kerry” of Munster hurling
From a Tipp fan – it was a poor match overall. Both teams will have not learned much from today. Limerick will be a different story! !
When you set up your side for damage limitation that is all you will achieve, the sweeper system has hurling destroyed.The 2013 championship was one of the best in living memory but it seems like a lifetime ago now! I can only hope that Limerick will go 15 on 15 in the semi-final and play their natural gung ho shit or bust style because if they don’t another woeful game will drift by.
The sweeper can still be played in a positive and entertaining way but it requires far more tactically than simply pulling a man back. When you play a sweeper you also play against a sweeper, teams need to execute both defensive and offensive sides of the formation. Look at Clare for example, defensively they press hard when not in possession and crowd midfield forcing teams to play long balls up to where they have an extra man who now has more time to get into position to cover. Then in attack they utilise rapid short passing to work the ball past midfield so they can play long forward passes that bypass the sweeper. It can be done well and still be entertaining but the likes of Cork and Limerick are now trying it without any idea of how to play the system and producing dour matches
Is Frank there for life? Is it like being pope?
Frank does what he wants and NO ONE dares question him.
Patrick Horgan with yet another game of no scores from play!
Shocking.. what were they thinking with the sweeper system ??? A draw ???? Short summer ahead..
Cork should enter the Christy ring
Hello Cork, hello Cork, where are ye.?????
Cork were abysmal today it is sad to see how far they have gone back the game needs a competitive cork side
These players have worked as hard as previous teams and the management have worked as hard as previous managers.We are at the low end of the cycle.The wheel will turn in time but let’s not be personally offensive to players or managers and selectors
Your right… I don’t blame the players, management or selectors…
I blame the county board and more importantly the man who has been running it for over 40 years…
William my comment may have came across wrong. I didn’t mean to have a go at Egan or anyone in particular. I just found d whole game v frustrating. Cork are better than that.
I see the blaming of poor auld frank has started as usual…only one thing for it then I suppose another strike
Why on earth would cork change their tactics to one they have never used and try it in their championship opener against Tipp of all teams aswell
Roll on kilkenny to sort them out
It’s all well and good using a sweeper if they know what they doin. Egan was standing there with not a clue what he was supposed to b at. He may as well been up in d stand.
Hope they don’t become as bad as the Kilkenny footballers
On the ball William…We are in a transition with plenty of challenges ahead. This is the right back room crew to get things turned around.
I love your optimism
I took the m
Jesus, are there any hurlers left in Cork?
Can’t believe how much cork hurling has declined this year. Yesterday showed that they’ve no leadership on the pitch and no plans other than using a sweeping system no matter what. JBM was restricted during his time in charge by the power that be (frank murphy) Also the last players strike certainly accomplished nothing but contribute to the demise of cork hurling. It’s a shame, there’s some great young hurlers all over cork county.