Division One: Dublin 1-14 Monaghan 0-16
IT seemed a fair question after what we’d just witnessed, even if Monaghan had just been beaten – is Conor McManus the best forward in Gaelic football?
On the last weekend of February, Malachy O’Rourke knew better than to make himself a hostage to fortune by answering that one, though, and skilfully kicked to touch.
“That’s for others to judge, not me, but I certainly wouldn’t swap him for anyone,” said the Monaghan manager.
Not for the first time at Croke Park, McManus left scorch marks behind him after a scintillating display that yielded a dozen points.
A little like Peter Canavan’s 11-point haul against Dublin in the 1995 All-Ireland final, the majesty of McManus still couldn’t prevent the hosts from prevailing but his was the name on everyone’s lips afterwards.
“Conor obviously gets special attention but he was on fire,” said O’Rourke.
“He’s so reliable from free-kicks and has such ability that if he gets any sort of chance at all, from all sorts of angles, he can put the ball over the bar. Hopefully we can keep him injury free.”
Even Dublin manager Jim Gavin held his hands up when asked about McManus, admitting it can be impossible to mark him.
David Byrne was the player who got that onerous task on Saturday and his torture lasted the full 70 or so minutes. McManus was clearly licking his lips at the prospect of playing on Byrne, whom he scored six points off in last year’s League semi-final before the defender was taken off.
“Conor McManus is one of the outstanding forwards of the modern generation of players,” said Gavin. “You need to understand that he will score in games. Those top quality forwards, they always do.”
Still, defeat was the lot of McManus and Monaghan’s unbeaten start to the campaign was ultimately ended by the boot of Bernard Brogan who kicked a 71st minute winning point.
It was an exciting finish to an absorbing game that swung this way and that before eventually being decided in Dublin’s favour.
Monaghan led by five points after a blitzkrieg start though were reeled back in and trailed 0-10 to 0-9 at half-time. They would fall five behind after conceding a 42nd minute Diarmuid Connolly penalty before remarkably battling back to lead by one, forcing that tense finale.
“After the penalty, we worked our way into a position where we could have won the game,” said O’Rourke. “It’s disappointing that we had a number of chances that with a bit more composure we could maybe have got a draw out of it.
“There’s plenty of positives. I felt that early on our forward play was really good, our movement, it was excellent. There were a number of new fellas in there too who wouldn’t have played much last year.
“So we had a lot of positives and probably the biggest was just this sheer refusal to lay down. Like, when Dublin got the penalty early in the second half after us having the lead by five points at one stage, I think it would have been very easy for us to say, ‘it’s not our night’ and start looking back at our good first 25 minutes and pat ourselves on the back.
“But the boys are of the mentality that they want to move away from that and test themselves all the time.
“So it was great that they dug in and really made a game of it and we’re just disappointed they didn’t get something out of it.”
O’Rourke confirmed that Kieran Hughes, who wore number 14 but played at midfield, was taken off with a heel injury.
“He came down very hard on it and the medical staff thought it better to take him out,” said O’Rourke.
“It took us a while to adjust to that. He is on crutches at the minute but hopefully it is nothing serious.”
Dublin: S Cluxton; David Byrne, M Fitzsimons, P McMahon (0-2), J McCarthy, C O’Sullivan, J Small; D Bastick, E O Conghaile (0-1); P Flynn (0-1), D Connolly (1-0 penalty), T Brady; P Andrews, D Rock (0-7, 0-6 frees), C Costello (0-2).
Subs: S Carthy (Naomh Mearnog) for Bastick (h-t), J Cooper for Fitzsimons (53), B Brogan (0-1) for Brady (54), P Ryan for Rock (58), B Fenton for O Conghaile (61), S Carthy (St Vincent’s) for Connolly (66).
Black card: Ryan, not replaced (72)
Blood sub: B Brogan for Flynn (42-53)
Monaghan: R Beggan; R Wylie, D Wylie, C Walshe; K Duffy (0-1), F Kelly, N McAdam; K Hughes (0-2), K O’Connell; S Carey, D Malone, T Kerr; O Duffy (0-1), D Hughes, C McManus (0-12, 0-9 frees).
Subs: D Mone for K Hughes (30), C Boyle for R Wylie (h-t), R McAnespie for Duffy (47), C McCarthy for Malone (56), D McKenna for Carey (66).
Referee: P Hughes (Armagh).
