Monaghan 3-13 Dublin 1-18
Leave it to the experts. Monaghan, leading global practitioners in avoiding the drop, staged another spell-binding demonstration of final-day escapology. For the second year running they had a free at the very end of a match to stay up.
In the 75th minute, his team level with Dublin, Jack McCarron stepped up to address a 40-metre shot. He had done exactly the same from play to Galway a year ago.
McCarron had already bagged the Man of the Match gong with 2-5, 1-3 from play, but to put the tin hat on it, he lofted over the point and not just any point. This was to preserve Monaghan’s eight-year residency in the top flight of the Allianz Football League and officially terminate Dublin’s 13-year run - although at level pegging they were already gone.
Such was its power that it relegated Kildare as well but the focus will be on Dublin, just recently six-in-a-row All-Ireland champions and now playing next season for even the right to take part in the Sam Maguire.
McCarron had scourged Dublin. Even his points cut deeply - one when he didn’t even bother to call a mark but swung over a point and another when he appeared to move through a force field with no-one able to lay a hand on him.
In a way it was a symbolic finale. Having apparently pulled the match out of the fire with Dean Rock’s injury-time penalty, Dublin managed to bungle a dropping ball and when Andrew Woods stepped in to take advantage, he was fouled.
Sunshine start
It had all started so brightly for Dessie Farrell’s team, as they galloped free in the Clones sunshine and built a 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the seventh minute: Seán Bugler opened the scoring with a mark, and Cormac Costello added a couple, including a mark of his own with Rock punishing a turnover to slot the fourth.
All was going to plan but Monaghan were hardly going to give up in the face of early adversity. Two points followed from Conor McCarthy and Darren Hughes.
They reined in the scoreboard but more ominously for Dublin, the scores exploited a leaden quality to their defending and that sense of unease intensified in the 14th minute when as distinguished and experienced a personality as James McCarthy, having cut out a through ball, almost distractedly passed it to McCarron, apparently mistaking him for a teammate.
He got a yellow card for his troubles when obliged to limit the damage by fouling.
By then Monaghan had also struck for the first goal, Seán Jones racing through the centre past Jonny Cooper and Mick Fitzsimons, as he tried to get in a tackle, to push his team into a lead they lost only temporarily for a couple of minutes at the end.
There were also problems at centrefield where Brian Fenton was unable to impose himself and they were forced into two early unscheduled defensive alterations after Robbie McDaid and Tom Lahiff picked up injuries.
All league, Dublin have struggled to chase leads and that was repeated here. Monaghan’s backs successfully disrupted their men cannoning into their opponents and forcing them out of any comfort zone that had existed in the early stages.
Yet they stayed in touch and would have been happy enough at half-time with a two-point deficit, 0-8 to 1-7. Costello also hit the woodwork just before the break and the sense was of a match still well within reach.
Wrecking ball
Instead of intensifying the momentum of three unanswered points before half-time, Dublin came out and conceded 1-2. It was Monaghan who raised the game. A free from Gary Mohan, whose wrecking ball presence maybe threatened more than it delivered but still spread alarm under incoming ball, got them started.
Kieran Hughes added another and after Costello hit the post again, the ensuing Monaghan attack saw Mohan again rampaging and he was pulled down for a penalty, which McCarron dispatched without fuss.
The story of the match was actually one of Dublin’s unlikely survival for so long. The one player who they can continue to rely on is Rock and his metronomic free taking kept them at the table. In fairness the team rallied after the goal to wipe it out with three points but it was hard to see where real inroads would be made.
Against a defensive set-up like Monaghan’s, they needed some quick ball into the attack but too often Ciarán Kilkenny and Costello were out foraging for ball and defenders occupied key roles in too many attacks.
For added dramatic impact Monaghan stiffened their task when Ryan Wylie picked up two yellow cards in little over a minute but typically for the day that was in it, Dublin reciprocated with McCarthy getting a second yellow for an off the ball incident.
In between the red cards, Dublin's target was yet again extended when McCarron brilliantly lobbed Shiel in the Dublin goal after reading the breaking ball more accurately than the defence.
In the 70th minute however, an unlikely deliverance beckoned when Lorcan O’Dell was pulled down by Ryan McAnespie for a penalty to Dublin. Rock nervelessly converted it.
It might even have ended in larceny but Lee Gannon, who was impressive off the bench put their last chance wide, leaving the stage to McCarron.
MONAGHAN: 1. R Beggan; 23. D Wylie, 3. C Boyle (0-1), 4. R Wylie; 10. C McCarthy (0-1), 6. D Ward, 5. R McAnespie; 26. N Kearns, 9. K Hughes (0-2); 17. F Kelly, 8. D Hughes (0-1), 12. S Carey (0-1, free); 11. J McCarron (2-6, 1-0, penalty, 0-3 frees), 14. G Mohan (0-1, free), 24. S Jones (1-0).
Subs: 13. A Woods for Jones, 19. C Walshe for Carey (both half-time), 20. K O’Connell for Kelly (45 mins), 7. K Lavelle for D Hughes (63 mins), 15. C McManus for Walshe (74 mins).
DUBLIN: 16. M Shiel; 2. M Fitzsimons, 3. D Byrne, 6. J Cooper; 23. E Murchan, 5. J McCarthy, 7. R McDaid; 8. B Fenton, 9. T Lahiff; 10. B Howard (0-1), 11. S Bugler (0-2, 0-1 mark), 12. N Scully; 15. D Rock (1-9, 1-0, penalty, 0-8 frees), 14. C Kilkenny, 13. C Costello (0-4, 0-1 mark).
Subs: 19. L Gannon (0-2) for Lahiff (23 mins), 4. C Murphy for McDaid (31 mins), 25. B O’Leary for Scully (57 mins), 24. L O’Dell for Costello (63 mins), 26. A Wright for O’Leary (68 mins).
Referee: N Mooney (Cavan).
