The decade under reviews saw a number of players calling time on their inter county careers after outstanding service by all of them for well over a decade each. County team squads see players come and go on a regular basis.
In Monaghan some came in with great promise and left with promise unfulfilled or they just simply didn’t make it or were not prepared to give the commitment needed to be a successful County player in the modern era.
However, there was a cohort of players who underlined the great commitment that there is in the County and the great pride that is taken in wearing the jersey.
Our list includes players of the calibre of Paul Finlay, Dick Clerkin, John Paul Mone, Dessie Mone, Vinny Corey, Tomas Freeman, Damien Freeman, Owen Lennon, and Owen Duffy and the list needn’t end there but these would be the stellar performers who caledl time on their careers between 2010 and the end of last year, 2019..
Monaghan and the GAA's longest serving footballer Dick Clerkin has called time on his inter-county career, was the headline locally and nationally when he announced his retirement having made 179 senior appearances for Monaghan since he first togged out for the county against Cavan in the national football league back in September 1999.
He was the last remaining player to have made his debut in the 1990s.
In those 179 games he made 54 Ulster SFC appearances including one as captain and in his career he scored a total of 3-107, thereby making a substantial contribution to Monaghan’s run of successes in the last 10 years./ He won Ulster championship medals in 2013 and 2015 and divisional national league honours in 2005 and 2009.
At club level he was a driving force when Currin won promotion from junior to senior status in recent years, a highlight being captain when they won the junior football league title in 2009, that being his second medal as they also won the Dr. Ward Cup in 2004.
OWEN LENNON
Monaghan midfielder Owen Lennon in announcing his retirement from playing football at any level in January 2016, brought the curtain down on an illustrious career that saw him make129 senior competitive appearances for Monaghan with 44 of those coming in the championship.
Ultimately his decision was based on medical advice as he has been suffering from a long standing ankle problem and that along with a back injury that troubled him also were the catalysts for the announcement.
One of the most influential midfielders of his time Lennon was a central figure in the Monaghan renaissance that saw them win promotion from division 3 to division 1 in successive seasons and winning two Ulster senior football championships in 2013 and 2015. Lennon captained Monaghan in 2013 and was a central figure when they regained the title in 2015.
As well as those championship successes he won two Allianz football League divisional medals in 2013 as captain and 2014. At club level he is the holder of 3 Monaghan senior championships medals won in 2005, 2008, when he captained the side, and 2011, as well as 3 senior football league medals and his loss to the Latton club is inestimable.
As a student he also won a Sigerson Cup medal with DCU, 2 inter provincial medals with Ulster in 2007 and 2012 as well as an Irish News Ulster All Star Award.
PAUL FINLAY.
Monaghan great Paul Finlay also called time on his 14-year inter-county career a few years back His retirement came less than three weeks after that of fellow County veteran Dick Clerkin. One of the most prolific forwards of his generation, Finlay scored a whopping 5-544 in 168 appearances for his county.
He first came to prominence as top scorer on the Monaghan Vocational Schools county team that garnered All-Ireland honours in 2001 and won a Sigerson Cup medal with IT Sligo the following year.
The stylish Ballybay clubman played a starring role in Monaghan's 2005 Allianz League Division 2 triumph, which was the border county's first national title in 20 years. He had to wait until 2013 to emulate his late father Kieran by winning his first Ulster SFC medal. Paul won a second provincial medal in 2015 following Monaghan's victory over Donegal in the final.
Finlay also captained Ballybay to a Monaghan SFC title in 2012, having won a JFC medal in 2000 and an intermediate title in 2008. He represented Ireland in the International Rules series against Australia in 2008 and enjoyed inter-provincial success with Ulster and most recently added a Monaghan senior league medal to his haul.
VINNY COREY.
Vinnie Corey’s status as a legend in Monaghan football goes back over two decades from he won back to back minor championships with Clontibret and was man of the match in both finals in 2000 and 2001. He was Minor Player of the Year in 2001 and was a mainstay of county minor and u21 teams before bursting into the senior side at corner back for Monaghan’s USFC win over All Ireland champions Armagh in 2004.
Since then he has played on all lines of the field from full back to full forward, always leading by example, not only driving forward, but bringing his team mates with him.
His famous half time switch from full back to full forward in the 2007 Ulster final brought about a revival that brought Monaghan to a famous Croke Park joust with Kerry. Vinnie was instrumental in all Monaghan’s famous victories over the past decade winning two League titles and of course two Ulster SFC titles in 2013 and 2015 being always relied upon to snuff out the threat of Donegal’s Michael Murphy, which he did very effectively.
He has played 17 seasons for Monaghan with 184 appearances and scored 5-25 along the way while also winning 7 senior championships with Clontibret and an inter provincial medal with Ulster.
He was nominated for an All Star in 2015, won an Irish News Ulster All Stars in 2007 and 2015 and his presence will be sorely missed not only on the field of play but in the dressing room where he was motivator in chief. Truly a Monaghan legend, Vinnie Corey.
DESSIE MONE
Dessie Mone was a football prodigy from an early age winning three minor championships with Clontibret and an Ulster Club minor medal in 2002 with a raft of underage trophies under his belt before that.
While Dessie played much of his early football up front when he joined the Monaghan squad in 2004 alongside older brother John Paul he was often given the man marking job of picking up the opposition’s most dangerous forward at corner back.
Liberated to a more roving commission at half back under Malachy O’Rourke he enjoyed the freedom to get up and down the pitch as he combined timely defensive interceptions with marauding runs up the field to rack up a total of 1-44 in 171 appearances in a Monaghan shirt. Indeed it was the sight of Dessie making one of his trademark runs up field to score a spectacular point that often lifted not only his team mates but the supporters as well.
As Ulster success came in 2013 and 2015 other accolades followed including four All Star nominations, four Irish News Ulster All Stars, an interprovincial medal with Ulster while along the way he found time to pick up seven senior championship medals with his beloved Clontibret.
An inspirational player who could always be relied upon not only to help dig things out when all seemed lost but to lead from the front Dessie will be missed not only by his team mates but by Monaghan supporters all over the world.
JOHN PAUL MONE.
It was at the start of the last decade that Clontibret and Monaghan great John Paul Mone announced his retirement from inter County football but by then he had established himself as one of the all-time greats from a famous Clontibret footballing family with all five brothers representing Monaghan at various levels.
He made his championship debut with his club Clontibret in 1997 and very quickly graduated to the County team where he played in a number of positions in attack, defence and midfield.
After he moved to the defence he wore the number three shirt with distinction and while little by way of inter-County honours came his way, he never lost his enthusiasm.
At club level he won seven senior football Championships, the last one in 2014, as well as league medals and his commitment to the cause never wavered as he worked in supportive roles with various teams and was a selector on the Clontibret team of last year that regained the senior football championship title.
GAVIN DOOGAN
Gavin’s first match with the County Seniors was in Galway verses Galway on Feb 14th 2010 and he was a regular until he announced his retirement in December 2019.
During this time Gavin won 2 Ulster Championships, 2013 and 2015, and 2 league titles, Div. 3 in 2013 and Div. 2 in 2014. He took great pride in wearing the jersey and was a tireless worker who never gave up.
Gavin is not renowned for his scoring abilities but when he did score they were more often than not very important and much needed scores, none more so than his brilliant goal against Kerry in 2017, where Monaghan went on to defeat Kerry in their own back yard.
While Gavin was a great ambassador for the club at county level and they will miss him he had some of hi finest games in last year’s club series where he was one of the driving forces in Magheracloone winning the Monaghan and Ulster Intermediate Football club Championships.
OWEN DUFFY
Owen Duffy announced his retirement from the inter-county football scene late last year, more than 13 years after making his debut back in 2006. Having been a county minor in 2005, Owen was swiftly called up to the senior panel and he went on to win his first of three SFC titles with Latton that October, kicking four points in the county final.
Latton’s most recent senior championship success came in 2011, with Duffy kicking the winning points in both the semi-final and final. Owen also picked up plenty of valued silverware with Monaghan, via Ulster championships in 2013 and 2015 and National Football League titles in Division Two (2014) and Division Three (2013).
He made a total of 116 senior appearances for Monaghan, scoring 7-82 and his strong running and high work-rate made him a high-impact player throughout recent years.
