Football

2019 Irish News Monaghan Club Allstars

Clontibret's Conor McManus. Picture by Philip Walsh.
Clontibret's Conor McManus. Picture by Philip Walsh. Clontibret's Conor McManus. Picture by Philip Walsh.

Clontibret denied Scotstown a fifth Monaghan SFC title in-a-row with victory in the Farney final and players from both clubs feature in the the selection of John P Graham as he picks his Monaghan club Allstars...

1. Rory Beggan (Scotstown)

THE big Scotstown man is still the top ’keeper in the county and he played a vital role for his club in this year’s championship.

He directed defensive operations, managing a very effective kickout strategy as well as making a series of fine saves, especially in the drawn semi-final with Ballybay when he kept Scotstown in the game.

He also contributed on the scoreboard and, in one game against Truagh, finished top scorer with six points.

2. Conor Boyle (Clontibret)

ONE of Clontibret’s most consistent players all season, he helped anchor the defence with outstanding displays in the championship, where his positional sense and anticipation saw him as the man in the gap on more than one occasion.

He had an outstanding game in the county final, where his anticaption saw him appear from almost nowhere to get a hand to a shot by Conor McCarthy and prevent the ball going over the line when a goal for the champions at that stage could have changed the complexion of the match.

3. Kieran Duffy (Latton)

A VASTLY experienced player at club and county level, Duffy had a very impressive championship this year when his defensive qualities helped his club reach the semi-final, only to lose out narrowly to Clontibret.

In the process he limited the influence of some of the best attackers in the county and none more so than in the quarter-final against Truagh when he was a real powerhouse at the back and proved very effective in mounting counter attacks.

4. Ryan Wylie (Ballybay)

ALREADY recognised as one of the best defenders playing inter-county football in the country and the recipient of numerous awards, including an Irish News Allstar, Ryan Wylie had a big impact for Ballybay in this year’s championship.

His positional sense, speed off the mark to make vital interceptions, man-marking and distribution were all vital components in Ballybay reaching the semi-final, while his penchant for counter-attacking this year was underlined by a magnificent solo point against Inniskeen when he started at his own right hand post and finished from about 10 metres out at the other end.

5. Ryan O’Toole (Scotstown)

ONE of the new breed of players coming throughfrom underage ranks at Scotstown, O’Toole showed this year that he is developing into a very accomplished defender.

He operated for a time at full-back last year on the team that won their fourth Monaghan SFC title in-a-row and reached the Ulster club final.

This year, he has come into his own at wing half-back where he has proved very adept at limiting the influence of some fairly high-profile wing half-forwards, putting in a particularly impressive display in the semi-final replay against Ballybay, a game in which he also drove forward and scored a point.

6. Owen Coyle (Latton)

A STRONG, forceful player Owen Coyle, as joint captain, put in a series of dominant displays at centre-back. He was not only was the anchor in the defence, but also the springboard for numerous counter-attacks while always being careful not to leave the door open at the back.

Coyle also proved to be an effective attacking force, getting forward to grab the odd point.

7. Colum Greenan (Clontibret)

GREENAN was looking for his second senior championship medal this year, having won one at fullback, with Clontibret in 2014 when they defeated Scotstown by a point in the final.

This year though he has been operating at left half-back, the same position he held in the 2016 county final team and again has proved very effective with his organisational ability and reading of the game, winning vital possession and always distributing the ball to good effect.

8. Kieran Hughes (Scotstown)

A VERY versatile player, Kieran, like his brother Darren, missed out on the early stages of the championship through injury but came in at the right time and played a major part in his team reaching the final.

His aerial ability is unquestioned, his pace off the mark and his finishing as well as his ability to switch positions when needed all contributed in the latter stages of the championship.

His accuracy saw him score two vital points in each of the drawn semi-final with Ballybay and again in the replay to help propel Scotstown to the final.

9. Killian Lavelle (Clontibret)

ONE of a new generation of players with the O’Neills, Lavelle is developing into a very accomplished midfielder and played a key role in his club reaching the county final.

He was particularly effective in the semi-final against Latton when his high fielding and distribution set up a series of counter attacks that helped stave off a late Latton resurgence.

In the final itself, he was superb and capped a fine performance with a point.

10. Brian Greenan (Clontibret) 

THE Clontibret captain made his championship debut in 2013 and won his second senior championship medal this year, having been on Clontibret’s victorious team in 2014.

A player who leads by example he set the tone for Clontibret’s performance in the county final with an early point that helped settle the nerves and while lining out at right half forward, he was a workhorse all over the field to help propel his side to victory.

11. Conor McCarthy (Scotstown)

McCARTHY was top scorer with Scotstown in last year’s senior championship, finishing with a tally of 1-14, 1-3 of which he scored in the final, following on his similar placing in 2017 when he finished with 4-19, 1-8 of which he scored in the final.

This year he is also well up the scoring charts, finishing after last Sunday’s final with a total of 3-16 and put in a power packed display in the semi-final replay where his goal was the catalyst for an increasingly dominant display by Scotstown, that ended Ballybay’s hopes of reaching the decider.

12. Aaron Mulligan (Latton)

ALTHOUGH he is just out of minor grade, Aaron Mulligan has been one of the sensations of this year’s senior football championship with a tour de force as he demonstrated a range of skills.

Fleet of foot, he can make life difficult for even the most highlyrated defenders and his tricky footwork can see him work his way out of very tight situations.

He has also demonstrated deadly accuracy, scoring 1-6 against Truagh, four points against Castleblayney and three against Clontibret. He was third highest scorer in the senior championship with 2-16.

13. Paul Finlay (Ballybay)

PAUL Finlay was Ballybay’s top scorer in the championship last year when they reached the final and was second in the charts in 2017 even though Ballybay went out at the semi final stage.

This year his team failed to reach the final, losing to Scotstown after a replay in the semi final, but the Ballybay and former Monaghan talisman was still stroking them over form play and frees from a range of distances and angles that proved again that class is permanent.

Going into the county final he topped the charts with 3-22.

14. Jack McCarron (Currin)

CURRIN may have only had two games in this year’s senior football championship, but even in that limited run Jack McCarron showed just what a classy forward he is, registering a total of 2-13 in two outings to get into the top five senior championship top scorers prior to the county final.

Despite being closely marked, McCarron has a great ability to create space for himself and his unerring accuracy with that trusty left foot was a feature of this year’s series, although he did score one point with his right foot for good measure.

15. Conor McManus (Clontibret)

RATED in recent years as one of the top three forwards in the country, Conor McManus has been the top scorer in the senior football championship for seven years, on some occasions when Clontibret even did not reach the county final.

He registered 1-18 in 2017 when Clontibret went out at the semi-final stage and 1-24 last year when his side also exited in the last four.

His six points, two from frees in the county final brought him into the top five scorers for the 13th year in-a-row, this year finishing with 1-18 and a man of the match performance in the final to boot.

The 2019 Fermanagh Club Allstars selection will appear in Tuesday’s Irish News