Monaghan returned to the big time when they reached the All Ireland final but unfortunately they went down to Cork. However, it was still a year to remember. By Alan Gunn It was a year that had many a twist and turn but a return to All Ireland finals day in Croke Park at the end of September left it a very memorable one. A good National Football League campaign give hope for success in the championship but a change of management between both competitions left everyone wondering would this effect the team. NFL The year began with a trip to Dublin in the opening round of the league. A creditable draw was achieved and an impressive performance to get the campaign up and running. This was followed by a stunning performance against Meath in St Michael's. The Oriel girls coasted to a comfortable 16 point victory. Ciara McAnespie finished top scorer with 1-4 while Niamh Kindlon rowed in with 0-5 and Lavina Connolly hit 1-1. In round three, Monaghan were also on the road with a trip to Kilcullen to face home side Kildare. Coming off their demolition of Meath in the previous game, it was plain to see the confidence flowing through the Monaghan girls as they produced another performance from the top drawer. Yet again Ciara McAnespie was key to the victory as the young Emyvale girl rattled the Lilywhites net on two occasions in the first half. Also playing a major part was team captain Niamh Kindlon with a personal tally of 1-7 while in defence Monaghan were very solid where Sharon Courtney excelled. Monaghan went into their final two games requiring just a single point to book a place in the last four. First up was the visit of Galway to St Oliver Plunkett Park, Emyvale. Missed chances proved costly for the home side as they went down by two points to the Tribeswomen. This left a winner takes all clash with Cork in Aughnamullen two weeks later. It turned out to be a day to forget as they Rebels romped home to win by 19 points. At the break Cork led 1-9 to 0-4 and in the second half they coasted to the win as Monaghan could only add two further points to their total. So after a promising start Monaghan missed out on qualification for the knockout stages of the league. In April, Owen McNally stepped down as manager but the position was quickly filled by John McAleer before they faced Donegal in the opening round of the Ulster championship in June. Ulster Championship New manager along with some new and old faces returned to the county scene for the beginning of what was to turn a very memorable journey through the championship. It was a journey that began in Healy Park, Omagh where Monaghan took on Donegal. In the opening round Donegal had caused somewhat of a major surprise when they defeated Armagh. It was a game that saw the return of Edel Byrne, after a four year break from the county scene and the Magheracloone girl hit 1-3 to help Monaghan over the winning line by a single point. Despite playing against a strong wind Monaghan looked the better side in the opening period but went in four points a drift. With the wind at their backs they were soon back on level terms before falling behind again. Then Byrne struck five minutes from time for the all important goal but Monaghan were still mighty relieved to hear the final whistle when it finally arrived. Monaghan (v Donegal): Linda Martin, Grainne McNally, Sharon Courtney, Christina Reilly, Aoife McAnespie, Charlotte Brady, Fiona Courtney, Amanda Casey, Isobelle Kierans (0-1), Ciara McAnespie (0-3), Niamh Kindlon (0-2, 1f), Therese McNally, Catriona McConnell (0-2, 1f), Edel Byrne (1-3), Lavina Connolly (0-1) Subs: Nicola Fahy for L Connolly, Ciara McGuinness for C Brady Next stop was Brewster Park, Enniskillen and a clash with Tyrone in the Ulster decider. A scoring spree in the opening and final quarters earned Monaghan the crown. In between some fantastic defending also played a major part as they kept Tyrone to just seven scores over the hour. John McAleer's side opened at a blistering pace racing seven points clear and should have had the crown already tucked away by the interval. However, three glorious goal chances went a begging and only three points separated the sides at the break. Monaghan made two changes from their semi-final victory over Donegal with Nicola Fahy and Angela Lennon handed starting positions. Both produced very fine performances and along with Lennon in defence Monaghan were excellent with all six defenders turning in a very solid display. Both Isobel Kierans and Amanda Casey held their own at midfield while up front the Monaghan forward line tore the Tyrone defence apart. Ciara McAnespie was a handful throughout and her pace was too hot to handle for the Tyrone girls. Team captain Niamh Kindlon was dictating the play from centre half while Catriona McConnell also caused serious problems. The Monaghan majors on the day came from Therese McNally and Lavina Connolly. Monaghan (v Tyrone): Linda Martin, Christina O'Reilly, Sharon Courtney, Grainne McNally, Fiona Counrtey, Angela Lennon, Aoife McAnespie, Amanda Casey, Isobele Kierans, Catriona McConnell (0-3, 2f), Niamh Kindlon (0-2, 1f), Therese McNally (1-1), Ciara McAnespie (0-2), Edel Byrne (0-2), Nicola Fahy Subs: Ciara McGuinness for Kearns, Lavina Connolly (1-1) for T McNally, Yvonne McConnell for Byrne All Ireland Championship The attention was now on Monaghan's quest for the All Ireland crown. In the quarter final they faced beaten Connacht champions Sligo but a pleasant surprise was the game was fixed for Croke Park. An early visit it was to HQ but conditions were far from pleasant with heavy rain and wind greeting the girls. The Oriel girls got off to a dream start despite facing into the difficult conditions. At the end of the opening quarter Monaghan led by seven points. By the break Sligo had marginally reduced it to six. After the resumption Monaghan continued to play some excellent football with player of the match Niamh Kindlon, Catriona McConnell, Therese McNally and Edel Byrne firing over some wonderful scores. Monaghan (v Sligo): Linda Martin, Grainne McNally, Sharon Courtney, Christina Reilly, Aoife McAnespie, Angela Lennon, Fiona Courtney, Amanda Casey, Isobelle Kierans, Catriona McConnell (0-5, 4f), Niamh Kindlon (0-8, 6f), Therese McNally (0-3), Ciara McAnespie, Edel Byrne (0-3), Nicola Fahy Subs: Ellen McCarron for Byrne, Una McNally for A McAnespie, Lavina Connolly for McConnell After seeing off one Connacht side, John McAleer and his team faced another from the West in the formidable outfit of Mayo. The game took place in Navan and Monaghan turned in one of their best performances in years. This was a victory built on a stunning display from start to finish. It was the second half that really saw the best of the Oriel girls as they blew away the challenge of the Connacht champions. John McAleer's side were tremendous all over the park from goalkeeper Linda Martin to corner forward Nicola Fahy. In defence Sharon Courtney was well supported by Grainne McNally and Aoife McAnespie but in fairness all of the back six were excellent. The midfield pairing of Amanda Casey and Isobelle Kierans were again on top of their game along with Nicola Fahy who came out as an extra midfielder. Up front Monaghan simply had too much fire power. Ciara McAnespie was superb and tormented Mayo. Therese McNally was also a thorn in the opposition rearguard while Niamh Kindlon, Edel Byrne and Catriona McConnell hit 1-13 between them. The Oriel girls led by a single point at the break, an excellently struck penalty by Edel Byrne helping them into the lead. After the resumption Monaghan played some delightful football and used the speedy Ciara McAnespie to the full in the forward line. Crisp passing and quick movement of the ball had the Mayo side racing after shadows and in dismay. Monaghan (v Mayo): Linda Martin, Grainne McNally, Sharon Courtney, Christina O'Reilly, Aoife McAnespie, Angela Lennon, Fiona Courtney, Amanda Casey, Isobelle Kierans, Catriona McConnell (0-2, 1f), Niamh Kindlon (0-7, 4f), Therese McNally (1-0), Ciara McAnespie (0-3), Edel Byrne (1-4), Nicola Fahy Subs: Lavina Connolly, Allanna Hackett, Una McNally Now it was to back to Croker and a battle with Cork for the Brendan Martin Cup. The Rebels were going for a fourth successive crown but this young Monaghan side headed up the M1 high in confidence of causing a major upset. What was to unfold, nobody could have anticipated. Just over a minute was on the clock when Cork were awarded the first of two very controversial penalties. To their credit Monaghan did not let this get to them and fought their way back and only trailed by a point with six minutes of the opening half remaining. The Rebels pulled three clear, but there was further controversy before the whistle blew when Rena Buckley somehow escaped without a card for a challenge on Ciara McAnespie as she bore down on goal. Five minutes after the resumption Cork scored their second major that had more than a hint of square ball about it. Although, the Oriel girls battled back again with two quick fire points, that goal ended their hopes. With the game already over as a contest Cork were awarded another controversial penalty but on the day the Rebels were the better side but what might have been had those major decisions not went against Monaghan will always linger. Monaghan (v Cork): Linda Martin, Grainne McNally, Sharon Courtney, Christina Reilly; Aoife McAnespie, Angela Lennon, Fiona Courtney, Amanda Casey, Isobelle Kierans (0-1), Catriona McConnell (0-3, 1f), Niamh Kindlon (0-1, f), Therese McNally (0-2), Ciara McAnespie (0-1), Edel Byrne (0-3), Nicola Fahy Subs: Lavina Connolly for A Lennon, Cora Courtney for C McConnell, Ellen McCarron for Fahy, Una McNally for C Reilly Monaghan's Results 2008 National Football league Division 1B February 3: Monaghan 2-8 Dublin 2-8 February 17: Monaghan 2-17 Meath 0-7 February 24: Monaghan 3-13 Kildare 1-11 March 2: Galway 1-10 Monaghan 1-8 March 15: Cork 3-16 Monaghan 0-6 Ulster Championship June 21 - Semi Final: Monaghan 1-12 Donegal 2-8 July 6 - Final: Monaghan 2-11 Tyrone 1-6 All Ireland Championship August 16 - Quarter Final: Monaghan 0-19 Sligo 0-10 August 30 - Semi Final: Monaghan 2-16 Mayo 1-12 September 28 - Final: Cork 4-13 Monaghan 0-11 Tweet

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