Greenfield Foods Monaghan Senior Football Championship
HE may have rolled back the years with a vintage display in Ballybay’s semi-final victory over Clontibret, but Paul Finlay has laughed off suggestions he should still contributing to the Monaghan cause.
The stylish playmaker walked away from the inter-county scene in November 2016 after 14 years. However, even at the age of 35, he remains a central cog in the Ballybay wheel as they reached a first county final since 2012.
Dick Clerkin led the plaudits after Finlay’s seven points helped sink Clontibret, describing his former Farney team-mate as “still one of the top players” in Monaghan.
Finlay, though, insists he has no regrets about calling time on his county career almost two years ago.
“This bit of attention has maybe come a few weeks early – I’d rather it was all over and we had something in the bag,” he laughs.
“Club football, even though it’s very competitive in Monaghan, it’s still a few levels below inter-county football. You get the odd person saying ‘you could still do a job for the county’ but it just doesn’t wash with me at all - that is a serious level and club is way below it.
“I was happy with my decision when I decided to walk away, and nothing has altered that at all. I just know the level that’s required at inter-county, the way the game’s played, the intensity of it…
“I’m not saying I’d make a fool of myself, but I just don’t have that yearning that I could or should still be in there and maybe offering something. Vinny Corey is an example you could point to I suppose.
“Vinny and myself are the same age, but everybody has a different make-up. Vinny has kept his game, kept his conditioning and still has a lot to offer Monaghan going forward. He’s been outstanding but no, not for myself.
“Thankfully I’m still playing quite well and enjoying my football - that could be as big a reason as any for the way I’m playing, the fact I’m enjoying it.
“Probably coming towards the end of my career, I don’t feel as much pressure. You’re just trying to enjoy the fact that you’re still able to play.”
Ballybay ended a 25-year wait to get their hands on the Mick Duffy Cup when they defeated Clontibret in the 2012 decider, but their attempts to build on that success have been frustrated by a dominant Scotstown side that has won four of the five championships since.
Unsurprisingly An Bhoth start as strong favourites, though there was little between the sides when they met in an earlier round of the championship just under a month ago.
Scotstown won by a point that day, 0-10 to 0-9, but Ballybay could point to a string of poor wides as they came up short.
Finlay isn’t reading too much into that game, but feels Ballybay are coming into Sunday’s game in confident mood.
He said: “It’s hard to put into words where we’re at.
“There’s a certain level of frustration and disappointment that we haven’t been back in a county final in six years. We would feel we have the guts of a decent team, but we’ve had a couple of near misses in semi-finals.
“The set up is good, preparation has been great, but it has been a bit of a whirlwind championship – it has come along very quickly with the run Monaghan were on, and with the Monaghan champions being out in the Ulster Club in the preliminary round, it’s meant the county board has had to run it off fairly quickly.
“It’s probably a good thing, there’s been plenty of matches, not much time to dwell on things, injuries have been kept to a minimum as well so we’re delighted to be in with a shout on Sunday.”
Finlay is familiar with many of the Scotstown team, having soldiered alongside the likes of Rory Beggan, the Hughes brothers - Darren and Kieran – Shane Carey and Conor McCarthy during his county days.
And the former Farney star insists he has nothing but respect for what Scotstown have achieved as they target a fourth Monaghan title in-a-row, and a 19th overall.
“You have to give them credit.
“It’s a lot to do with their tradition I think – if they do come and win one, they expect to win three, four, five championships with that same team.
“That’s what they’ve been doing, they’ve been ultra-consistent, and they have been the outstanding team. They’re going for four in-a-row and it’s a savage achievement to be on that sort of a run in a really competitive championship.
“They’ve shown what it takes, so it’s up to the rest of us to try and wrestle it off them.”
