Monaghan footballer Dermot Malone.
By Cian O’Connell
Monaghan’s emergence as a respected force during the past decade is one of the most admirable stories on the inter-county circuit, but Dermot Malone is hopeful that further progress can be made.
Under Malachy O’Rourke’s shrewd guidance Monaghan have claimed two Ulster titles, while also contesting four All Ireland Quarter-Finals since 2013.
The new Group Phase format, though, means Monaghan will feature in three last eight matches in the coming weeks with Malone acknowledging there is no shortage of intrigue ahead of what promises to be a fascinating weekend at Croke Park.
“True, I think every GAA person in the country whether it be a supporter or player, everyone is looking forward to it,” Malone says about the Group Phase.
“For us we get three high profile games, we are really looking forward to playing in Croke Park and at the same time we will be playing in Salthill and Clones in front of big crowds so there will be a lot of anticipation around every county. We are all looking forward to it so it will be interesting to see how it turns out, time will tell.”
Valuable lessons were learned during the Ulster Semi-Final loss to Fermanagh according to Malone with Monaghan satisfied that a three match winning sequence has subsequently been stitched together.
“After the Fermanagh game, which was a tough loss, and we were beaten by the better team on the day we sat ourselves in a room, said to get ourselves into the Super 8s and that we would reassess from there,” Malone admits. “Lucky enough we have made that and we will see how we can go in the next few weeks.”
In the Qualifiers Monaghan have outfoxed Waterford, Leitrim, and Laois so they enter Sunday’s clash against Kildare armed with confidence and momentum.
Malone acknowledges that the significant work carried out during the past couple of decades is now being reflected on the senior inter-county stage.
Dermot Malone celebrating following the 2015 Ulster SFC Final win.
“True, they have come a long way,” Malone remarks about Monaghan’s rise. “I remember just before we played Waterford this year Dermot McArdle, who would have played for Monaghan for years he was telling me back in the times when they played Waterford, even in the early 2000s that most of the team would have been out on the drink the night before the game, showing up for the game, and playing it.
“In the space of 15 years the way it has come on is completely night and day. We are in a lucky position at the moment where we are at, hopefully we can make the most of it.”
One hurdle the current Monaghan team want to climb, though, is getting beyond the Quarter-Final stage following losses in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.
“You are very much right, we haven't got past the Quarter-Final stage which is something we are very much aware of,” Malone states.
“I think we played Dublin twice and Tyrone twice in the last couple of years, we were beaten, we have to hold our hands up, take our beating because we have no excuses. It will be interesting to see how it works out this year and we would obviously fancy our chances just as much as everybody else. Ultimately our goal is to get out of the Super 8s and reassess from there.”
With O’Rourke, now in his sixth campaign in charge, still extracting solid displays from Monaghan’s collection of youthful and experienced players Malone is adamant that the depth of the panel has improved. “It is a bit of a snowball effect,” Malone states.
“Whenever there is a bit of success or things are going well people want to be involved. Everyone in Monaghan is wishing the team all the best. Once you win the first Ulster back in 2013 it has a bit of a snowball effect, everybody wants to play, it keeps coming and coming.
“Even through all the ranks everyone is looking forward to playing with the senior team when their time comes. I think that is coming to fruition now, if you look at a lot of our panel, a lot of them are in their early 20s. That is due to the early success from 2013 onwards.”
With three matches in the next four weeks Monaghan’s credentials will be examined, but Malone is one of the established figures in the set-up constantly demonstrating resilience as they seek to advance to the penultimate round. That is the mission Monaghan want to accomplish.
