Young gun duffy made a big impression
November 27, 2011The young guns were certainly given an opportunity to impress in the Monaghan colours in 2011. As some of the better-known elder statesmen moved on, manager Eamonn McEneaney recognised upon his return to the senior county helm that he had to blood some fresh talent. Everybody would be handed a chance and some would do better than others…
One player who unequivocally grasped his opportunity with both hands (and both feet) was Latton clubman Kieran Duffy, an exceptional young talent who epitomises the new breed of Monaghan footballer. Duffy's clubmate Hugh McElroy is no stranger to intercounty football and the former countyman was fulsome in his praise of the Monaghan newcomer's feats in 2011: "He made his Monaghan debut when he came on for 20 or 25 minutes against Kildare in last year's Qualifier at Croke Park. He played corner back this year against all the top forwards in the country - the likes of Bernard Brogan, Stevie McDonnell and Marty Clarke - and did well on all of them. He seemed to be handed the man-marking job on the top opposition player each time and he did really well. He had a bit of hairy time against Stephen O'Neill in the championship match in Omagh, but all in all Kieran had a great introduction to intercounty football and acquitted himself seriously well. He's a serious prospect if he keeps going the way he's going." A solid recommendation from a man who knows what he's talking about!
As we look to the future and the continuation of the ongoing rebuilding / transition process in Monaghan, it's players like Duffy who present us with greatest hope. He was ultra-impressive in performing his defensive duties during the year gone by and the young Latton man is determined to push on.
Looking back on the events of the calendar year, Kieran- - who was instrumental in Latton's magnificent SFC success - is modest and unassuming. Looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead, he takes nothing for granted. He possesses an astonishing level-headedness and work ethic for one so young and this will serve Monaghan GAA extremely well for many seasons. Results may not have gone our way in 2011, what with the county team suffering relegation to Division Two and losing both their championship outings, but Monaghan GAA took the first steps towards re-inventing itself with an exciting new crop.
While the results were obviously disappointing, there is a bigger picture to consider and - in the long run - the discovery and nurturing of new talent could prove way more beneficial than a couple of wins might have. After making his debut in the McKenna Cup in January, Kieran Duffy featured prominently through the national football league - testing himself against the best of the best in Division One - and retained his place for the championship jousts with Tyrone and Offaly in Omagh and Tullamore respectively. As learning curves go, it was a pretty steep one, but the experience garnered will prove invaluable to both player and team in 2012.
"The boys I was in with made it that bit easier for me and the fact that Eamonn McEneaney was new to the job as well also helped," says Kieran in an interview with hoganstand.com. "I had a lot of help around me and the other members of the squad made it a very enjoyable experience. I came into the squad very late in 2010 and I didn't really know what to expect. I wasn't really expecting to get on for the Kildare game but once I did I wanted to try to kick on from there."
Having featured at the very tail-end of Banty's tenure, Kieran was more than pleased to get a phone call from the new regime. "When I got the call I decided I would try to make a go of it. The Kildare game was disappointing and I didn't want to leave it like that. I trained very hard all year and put in a big pre-season and was lucky enough to get my place."
Though he kept his jersey for the season, Kieran had to be on his toes at all time, with other players pushing hard for a place in the team: "It was touch and go, to be honest, and there was very strong competition for places in all positions, but the pre-season went well and that really stood to me. But you can never take your place for granted."
With so many new faces emerging, is this an exciting era for Monaghan football? While some might bemoan the demise of Banty's team, should Monaghan followers be licking their lips at the prospect of unleashing a vibrant young side, like Dublin and Donegal have done in recent seasons? "Once a team goes into transition, you're always going to see a lot of new faces in. People in Monaghan probably had high expectations for the team this year after Monaghan's performances in recent seasons, but it takes time to replace the likes of Damien Freeman and Gary McQuaid and it was going to be difficult to get results instantly.
"Having said that, things are moving in the right direction and we have a few lads in now from the Monaghan team that contested the 2008 Ulster minor final [Kieran was midfield on that side, which also included Colin Walshe, Kieran Hughes and Christopher McGuinness] and Monaghan football is moving in the right direction."
Victories were few and far between, however, and it times it looked more like the end of an era than the start of one - do supporters need to show some patience? "I wouldn't say patience is the right word. This year was a learning curve and we hope to push on and do better in 2012. A few boys were only learning the ropes and hopefully we'll be stronger next year."
Even allowing for the fact that it was a new-look team, Kieran concedes that Monaghan should have done better against Offaly: "We feel that we didn't do ourselves justice and it's a long wait now until next year's Ulster championship. It's a long time to be out of intercounty football and we should learn from that. We'll get stuck into the pre-season again and work hard and hopefully we'll make a strong start to the new year."
How hard is intercounty football? How difficult is it to adapt? "It's tough but it's where you want to be. You have to put in a lot of work and if you don't prepare well on your own or if you aren't fit, then you will be found out. It's a big step-up from schools or colleges football. You're up against top-class opposition and they will punish every mistake."
As for his growing reputation as a specialist man-marker, the Latton clubman concludes: "At the start of the year, I would have been more than happy to play in any position for Monaghan. When you get a chance to play for Monaghan, you are just glad to pull on the jersey. You don't mind where you play as long as the team is winning."
As the new breed of players find their feet, it's surely only a matter of time before the county seniors return to winning ways. Tweet
