It has often been said that nothing in this world can take the place of persistence and Monaghan's eventual promotion from Division 4 of the Allianz national hurling league at the third attempt is proof positive that persistence and perseverance pays.  

They were contesting their third NHL Division 4 final in a row when they traveled to Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday April 10th for the final that most people had predicted in that section, Monaghan against Longford. Monaghan had in fact booked their place in the decider prior to the final round of matches and were through to the final with the only 100% record in that section and one of the few in the entire hurling league, but they were up against a Longford team that themselves had ambitions of promotion back to Division 3B at the first attempt.
Monaghan have had something of a mixed relationship with Division 4 of the NHL since the leagues were restructured. They had been the form team in the division for three seasons and won the Division 4 title in 2008 but the powers that be had decided that there would be no promotion to Division 3 on that occasion so it was down to battling for promotion again last year, 2009.
Monaghan reached the final again in 2009 where Sligo provided the opposition but they lost out to the Yeats men by two points after extra time, again to a team that had also been campaigning in a higher division the previous year. So would it be third time lucky for Monaghan with promotion this time or would it be a disappointing end to another league campaign.
2009 was Monaghan's second Division 4 final in successive years, winning one and losing the second but team manager Frank Brady was confident ahead of the new campaign: "if we can do ourselves justice in the (2009) Rackard Cup and get structures in place for these boys for the 2010 season then I think maybe this time next year we'll be here and win that cup and get promotion."
It had been a very rewarding campaign with Monaghan coming through undefeated with victories over Cavan, South Down, Fermanagh, Leitrim and Longford, with that victory being just the one reverse that Longford suffered.
Team manager Frank Brady knew the importance of the decider with Longford.
"It was the defining moment in my term as manager with Monaghan because it was our third final in a row and we had to win it as victory carried promotion with it, something that we were denied the last time we won the league.
"We suffered a set back last year when we got to the final but lost to Sligo so we had to get it right this time because winning Division 4 was our aim all season and we had put all our eggs in that basket because that was the one that counted. It was not going to be easy though and we had to be in the right frame of mind going into that match. We had to be at the top of our game and we had to be focused all through because we were lucky to beat Longford when we met them in Inniskeen earlier in the league.
"Our attitude had to be right on the day for us to produce the standards that we had come to expect from the team but I knew though if we played to our full potential we would win it because I sincerely and genuinely believed we were the better team."
When it came to the final itself, Monaghan delivered in spades as they ran out 1-18 to 1-10 winners. It was mission accomplished and Frank gave all the credit to the players.
"We hadn't been great in the first half and we knew we needed to up our performance in the second-half and we did and I think we got better as it went on. We were playing superior hurling in the second-half, we were first to the ball and we upped our levels of commitment and intensity and that's what we had to do to win it.
"That is what we will have to do to next year as well as Division 3B is a tough section."
There was some disappointed that there was no senior Croke Park official there to present the trophy for a national competition, with some feeling that didn't reflected well on hurling in the lower divisions.
And so with promotion in the league achieved it was on to the championship and the Rackard Cup with Monaghan the only Division 4 team in their section - a tough hand that the county had been dealt in previous seasons.
So near and yet so far could well sum up Monaghan's Nicky Rackard Cup campaign as they could have beaten both Roscommon and Sligo in their two opening games and those results left manager Frank Brady a little exasperated.
"There were games that we could have won but I don't know what it is, we were able to focus on the league and perform well but then when it came to championship time we couldn't generate the same momentum. I don't know whether it was that by that stage that players had football commitments or whatever it was but we have to seriously look at where we are going and what we are doing," said the manager.
Those two defeats ended Monaghan's interest in the Rackard Cup but they also had the Ulster senior hurling championship to come, a competition that Frank felt would help Monaghan get prepared for better things and get the team ready for playing at a higher level in the league.
In the Ulster championship Monaghan got through by the skin of their teeth against Fermanagh in the opening round and things did not look good at the midway stage of the second-half when they were behind by four points.
"I think we found it hard to right ourselves after having played well in the league when everything went right for us. We found it difficult to repeat that form and we just couldn't seem to lift it against Fermanagh but we came good again in the last 10 minutes and won it," revealed Brady.
Next up it was London, a team that had been playing a couple of divisions higher than Monaghan but the management were adamant that it was a game where their players could show their hunger for a battle against a perceived strong side.
"We were moving up in class big-time but that's where we want to be and we need to be going up in class if we are going to improve. We will not improve if we stay in the comfort zone we are in."
On the day Monaghan left Casement Park with heads held high despite losing out to London in their second outing in the Ulster senior hurling championship and it was a result that ended Monaghan's interest in the title race.
Monaghan went in as underdogs coming up as they were against a team that had been playing two divisions higher than them in the National Hurling League but on the day they more than matched the visitors as they played with passion and commitment right to the final whistle. 
At one stage in the second-half Monaghan were growing in stature and building in momentum with the result that there were signs of panic in the London camp and they were forced to concede a succession of frees which were ruthlessly punished by top scorer Michael McHugh. Monaghan played with their hearts on their sleeves throughout what was a fascinating match that produced periods of great intensity and some very exciting hurling. A final margin of seven points didn't do justice to Monaghan's performance on the day.
"We probably could have won that match," Frank recalled. "We got it down to two points at one stage in the second half and then we gave away a couple of soft frees and that put them four points up and we did struggle a bit from there on but I have to give credit to the lads it was a great performance. It was a match we could have won but I don't think we believed enough going up there that we could win the game but hopefully now after that performance the boys will have started to believe that we can win matches like that. It was overall a great season and one that showed that we can hurl against teams that are regarded as stronger than us, we just have to believe that we can do it.
"Look at Inniskeen, they showed what can be done, they set their sights on winning Monaghan and they did and then moved on to the Ulster title. The ability is there in Monaghan, we just have to harness it that bit better. I said at the end of last season that I knew in my heart that the future is bright and it can be very bright for hurling in Monaghan because we have some great young players coming through. We have some very experienced players with us at the moment but it is going to take a commitment from everybody, from county board level right down to each player in every club to make sure that we maximise on that." 

Results for 2010 
Allianz Hurling League
Monaghan 5-14 Fermanagh 3-7
Monaghan 0-15 South Down 0-10
Monaghan 2-13 Longford 1-12
Monaghan 1-18 Cavan 0-10
Monaghan 2-11, Leitrim 1-12
Final: Monaghan 1-18, Longford 1-10 
Nicky Rackard Cup
Roscommon 4-15 Monaghan 0-18
Sligo 3-10 Monaghan 0-13 
Ulster SHC
Monaghan 1-15 Fermanagh 2-10
Monaghan 1-15 London 3-16 Tweet

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