BEGGAN’S LESSON IN HOW TO BEAT THE DUBS
Beggan’s influence on the result was enormous
WHEN word went out around the country at around 4.30 last Sunday afternoon that All-Ireland champions Dublin were beaten for the first time in a proper competitive fixture in 2018, they were hardly dancing on the streets in Kerry to celebrate the news.
There were no bonfires blazing later that same evening in various villages in Mayo or Tyrone to mark the fallibility of Jim Gavin’s team, nobody was proclaiming that the All-Ireland race was suddenly wide open.
Nobody leaving Croke Park was under any illusions either, not least Monaghan, given it was effectively a dead rubber fixture for Dublin who had already qualified for Sunday’s final against Galway.
Although a 12-match unbeaten run in League and Championship came to an end, Dublin will, this weekend, bid for a fifth National League title in six seasons, the one-point defeat by Kerry last year the only aberration on Gavin’s watch.
Initially hailed as a first win for Monaghan over Dublin at Croke Park, a bit of digging by Ulster journalist John P Graham revealed that the Farney men had registered that feat almost 50 years ago.
Yet there were some very clear lessons in Monaghan’s performance. Anyone looking for chinks in the champions’ armour will do well to study the tape.
To be even in the same ballpark as Dublin, a top-class goalkeeper is a prereq-uisite. No other team presses up on the opposition kick-out so often or in such numbers.
In Rory Beggan (right), Monaghan had the perfect counter-threat. His influence on the result was enormous.
Right from the start he set the tone, responding to Dean Rock’s opening free-kick by threading the kick-out through the eye of a needle to Ryan McAnespie, who set up a score for Conor McManus.
An instant reply and a message in itself to Dublin. The TG4 camera behind the Monaghan goal captured the complexities of Beggan’s kickout as Dublin pressed high and tried to turn the screw at every opportunity. It didn’t stop Beggan drifting out in a play-making role when the Monaghan defence needed an out-ball. Heading for the three-quarter mark, he could be found out near the Hogan Stand side, pinging a 50-metre pass to Kieran Hughes. Jack McCarron’s beautifully-judged lobbed goal was critical to the result, it edged Monaghan ahead 2-10 to 0-15 with less than seven minutes to go. And it originated from the boot of Beggan. After David Byrne pointed for Dublin, the All-Ireland champions sensed their moment. Cue a brilliant kick-out over the Dublin press.
The ball bounced exactly on the halfway line for Fintan Kelly to gather in front of the Cusack Stand. It was reminiscent of Stephen Cluxton’s pass to Niall Scully which threw down the gauntlet to Tyrone early in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final. And it set in train the move that ended in Jack McCarron’s sublime strike, the substitute bounced up off his knees before he delivered it.
In the 67th minute, Beggan delivered another 50-metre pass, this time with the outside of his right boot to Kieran Hughes in space to keep Monaghan driving forward.
As for the match-deciding point? It came from an uncharacteristic loose kick pass by Brian Fenton which was seized on by Beggan. Again, the control and discipline with which Monaghan played keep-ball for the next 60 seconds was a lesson for other teams. With the board after showing four minutes of additional time, just five seconds remained when Fintan Kelly took the shot on and split the posts.
Evan Comerford only had time to take the kick-out before the final whistle sounded.
While Cluxton’s stand-in enhanced his reputation, the absence of the captain and five-
time All-Ireland winner was notable. Likewise Ciarán Kilkenny, who has been Dublin’s form player this spring.
This will be a true test because plenty of things happened last Sunday in the Dublin performance that are unlikely to happen again in 2018.
For Vinny Corey’s opening goal for Monaghan, Owen Duffy was allowed to traverse the middle third of the field, soloing away at his leisure, completely unchallenged, before playing in one of the county’s true survivors.
That Niall Scully switched off to allow him to run behind was also uncharacteristic of another player who has been a shining light for Dublin this spring.
For all of Monaghan’s composure in the end-game, it’s worth remembering that they had an extra man for the finale after Philly McMahon had been issued with a second yellow card.
Monaghan’s physicality in the tackle was another feature, Drew and Ryan Wylie were brilliant exponents of the turnover on the day with the former deservedly named as man of the match. Galway will surely look to mimic a similar approach, Monaghan laying down a marker in the opening moments when Drew Wylie’s teeth-rattling hit on Shane Carthy drew a big gasp from the crowd.
The quality of Beggan’s performance only shows how Dublin will target the Galway kick-out this Sunday. Ruairí Lavelle is a talented shot-stopper — expect Dublin though to target his restart.
If he can follow Beggan’s lead, he will be doing very well indeed.
Galway’s defensive record has been a source of pride all spring — now comes the real test.