Corey has big task on his hands
Keeping Farney men among elite won’t be easy for rookie boss
VINNY Corey’s appointment last week as Monaghan manager may well have been welcomed by more than the Farney faithful where he enjoys cult status.
It should, provided he does not get notions of picking himself, ensure that Ulster’s top forwards can rest easy for now in the knowledge he is not coming back.
Given that he retired at the end of 2019 and is now 39 that should be a given, but such was the Clontibret man’s durability and staying power over a playing career that spanned 17 years, it is likely that some still check their rearview mirror every time they face Monaghan, just in case he pops up.
Donegal’s captain and leader Michael Murphy could certainly be forgiven for doing so, given the difficulties he encountered in Corey’s company.
Over the course of three successive Ulster finals — two of which Monaghan won in 2013 and ’15 — Murphy was held scoreless from play.
And, for good measure, Corey even managed a point from play of his own.
If nothing else, his manmarking job on the Donegal captain underpinned why he was such a pillar on the Monaghan team down the years.
Indeed, it earned him a level of trust, from managers, team-mates and supporters, that bordered on the absolute. He may not have been decorated with individual gongs but his value was always recognised in Monaghan.
In Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney’s first coming as manager, he led them to a first Ulster final in 19 years in 2007 when they were rank outsiders to Tyrone.
It was not exactly plain sailing for Mickey Harte’s team even though they were cruising with a seven points lead early in the second-half. However McEnaney’s switch of Corey from full-back to fullforward had a transformative impact on the contest.
He not only provided an outlet for direct ball, he also set up scores, kicked a point and, but for a smart save from John Devine, might well have ensured that he would have won his first Ulster medal at the age of 24 years instead of having to wait another six years before finally getting his hands on one.
It was therefore little surprise that when McEnaney came back for a second stint as manager Corey wouldn’t be left kicking his heels for too long after coming straight into his management team after retiring.
From there, though, to here is still quite the step-up and Monaghan’s painful and prolonged search, Dublin duo Jason Sherlock and Ger Brennan were linked to the role as well as Farney native Niall Moyna, would suggest he was not at the top of the county board’s wish-list.
Even so, his appointment will certainly be a popular one within the dressing room, although the usual borders will have to be erected to remind everyone of who is in charge.
There may also be well-founded fears that he lacks management experience at this level, but he has surrounded himself with people he trusts, with former teammate Dermot McArdle and Gabriel Bannigan, who has extensive management experience at club level, including a stint in charge of Kilmacud Crokes, on board as selectors.
The key appointment is likely to be that of his brother Martin, who spent the last four years with Mickey Graham in Cavan, where his contribution as a selector and coach was widely hailed, and helped the Breffni men get over the line in the 2020 Ulster SFC.
One of the immediate pay-offs from Corey’s appointment is that it is likely to ensure his Clontibret
The trust placed in him was absolute
clubmate Conor McManus will return for another season.
The 34-year-old is no longer the force of old — and he has had to battle some fitness issues — but having him there will be a huge boost, even if Jack McCarron, the only Monaghan player to be nominated for an All-Star this season, has effectively become their main attacking force.
It may also ensure that midfield veteran Darren Hughes will extend his career to a remarkable 18th season but the real challenge for Corey is not getting experienced stalwarts to stay on, but overseeing a rebuild that will keep the county at the top.
It is staggering, especially given their modest size, that Corey’s first challenge will be to extend Monaghan’s stay in Division 1 to a 10th season, with only Kerry boasting a longer uninterrupted residency in the Allianz League’s top light.
However, despite those two Ulster titles and a run to the AllIreland semi-final in 2018 — in what was Corey’s penultimate season — Monaghan have never managed to replicate that form in the Championship.
Which is why they have placed their trust in a man who has never shirked the most daunting of challenges.