Allianz Football League Division One round three: Monaghan v Donegal (Sunday, St Tiernach's Park, 1.45pm)
So far, the tale of 2023 for both Monaghan and Donegal has been one of missing men and relegation fears.
Before a ball was kicked in the League, both sides were highlighted as candidates to face the dreaded drop to Division Two.
In Monaghan’s case, things just went from bad to worse in the opening round when they were already minus the star quality of Conor McManus, the Hughes brothers – Darren and Kieran – and the recently retired defensive duo Colin Walshe and Drew Wylie.
With barely 30 seconds on the clock against Armagh, Jack McCarron limped off the Castleblayney turf, and shuffled out of the stadium with a bag of ice strapped to his damaged hamstring.
The injury may not have been as serious as first feared, and he could well make an appearance tomorrow, but his absence, along with the aforementioned names, has been detrimental to the start of Vinny Corey’s term in charge of his native county.
They suffered a home defeat to Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh before being trounced in Killarney two weeks ago by Kerry, who were heading into the game with a point to prove having lost to Donegal.
Corey won’t get much sympathy from his opposite number this weekend as Paddy Carr knows a thing or two about losing key men. The beginning of his tenure has been a turbulent trip to say the least, and Carr must feel that if it wasn’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all.
Carr had barely stepped through the door when he lost Donegal’s inspiration captain, leader and 2012 All-Ireland winner Michael Murphy, who decided to call it a day and drift off into the sunset in November.
But Donegal dealt with the blow brilliantly in the opening round of the League and newly appointed skipper Paddy McBrearty pointed with the last kick of the game to hand them an unlikely win over All-Ireland champions Kerry.
If Murphy was gone, then at least the Tír Chonaill men could still rely on McBrearty, right? Well, not so much. The Kilcar man was replaced, through injury, against Tyrone and is unlikely to feature when they travel to Clones tomorrow.
He’s joined the long, growing list of injured players that already includes the likes of Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher, Ryan McHugh, Michael Langan, Ciaran Thompson, Oisin Gallen and Niall O’Donnell, all of whom would be in contention for a starting jersey if available.
So, neither team will be at full strength tomorrow which makes an always close and tense affair even more unpredictable. For the best part of the last decade, Clones provided the battleground where provincial glory was the prize for the winner of this meeting.
But this weekend, it’s not about the Anglo-Celt Cup, it’s about two points that will go a long way in keeping either team in the division. For nine years straight, Monaghan have dined at the top table, with a couple of close calls down through the years.
But this year more so than any other, they look destined to drop down to the second division and Corey may find the rebuilding process a tad easier if that was the case. But they’ll not have that mindset tomorrow.
One win, one game, can change a season and Monaghan will be pinpointing this encounter against their old foes as the perfect opportunity to turn their year around and start to build some confidence and momentum.
They have two home games on the trot, as they host Roscommon next weekend, providing them with the perfect platform to turn things around.
Neither side is at full strength, nowhere near it, so perhaps the comforts of home advantage in Clones will prove more important than ever and Monaghan may just get their first points of the season, but don’t rule out a draw.
