Donegal 4-27 v 0-15 Monaghan
By Charlie Collins
This was a must win game for Donegal in terms of a top two finish in the Nicky Rackard Cup round robin of fixtures.
Mickey McCann’s team had won their opening two games against Armagh and Mayo while opponents Monaghan had suffered two big defeats against Mayo and Roscommon.
With away fixtures against Roscommon and Louth to come Donegal could not afford any slip-ups here. Donegal dominated this game from the start, an early Liam McKinney set the tone after Stephen Gillespie and Niall McArthur had exchanged early points.
Donegal then hit four in a row, two frees from Gerry Gilmore and Sean McVeigh and Josh McGee Cronolly from play. Declan Hughes added Monaghan’s second from long distance, Ruairi Campbell replied, McArthur converted another free but McGee Cronolly and Gilmore points had Donegal ahead by 1-08 to 0-03 after twenty minutes.
Niall McArthur added his third and fourth points but in between McGee Cronolly and Declan Coulter both scored from play. Two more Gerry Gilmore frees made it 1-12 to 0-05, McArthur and Conor Gernon replied but after McArthur had added his fifth, Gilmore and Liam McKinney added two more Donegal points to send them to the half-time break 1-14 to 0-07 points ahead and well in control.
Donegal started the second-half as they did the first with an early goal, Oisín Grant grabbing Sean McVeigh’s long ball and blasting to the net. A string of points followed, two each from Gilmore and Coulter and one each.
McArthur converted a free frees for Monaghan but the one way traffic continued with Gavin Browne, Coulter, McVeigh, Gilmore, McKinney, Conor O Grady and goals from Coulter and Gilmore as they ran out winners by 4-27 to 0-15 to make it three wins from three.
Next up for Donegal is a tough trip to Roscommon in two weeks time. In today’s other game Mayo had a big win over Louth, Roscommon and Armagh play tomorrow.
Donegal: Luke White; Ciaran Curran, Stephen McBride, Declan Coulter (1-04), Stephen Gillespie (0-01), Sean McVeigh (0-02), Jack O’Loughlin, Gerry Gilmore (1-09), Conor O’Grady (0-02), Brian MacIntyre (0-01), Oisín Grant (1-00), Conor Gartland, Josh Cronolly McGee (0-03), Liam McKinney(1-03), Ruairi Campbell (0-01). Subs: Sean Ward for Grant (42mins), Peter Kelly for Campbell (45mins), Dean Harvey for McIntyre (45mins), Gavin Browne (0-01), for Gillespie (46mins), Danny Cullen for McGee Cronolly (47mins).
Monaghan: Dylan McAree, Jack Guinan, Aaron Kenny, Cormac McNally, Kevin Crawley, Colin Merrick, Declan Hughes (0-01), Martin Murphy, Conor Flynn, Pauric Malone, Conor Gernon, Emmet Walsh, Niall Garland, Niall Arthur (0-09), Oran Kiernan. Subs: Thomas Hughes (0-02), for McNally (5 mins), Conor Boyle for Flynn (20mins), Ronan McMahon for Malone (50mins), Leo Maloney (0-03), and James Brady for McArthur and Crawley (65mins).
Referee: Matthew Farrell (Roscommon).
