Monaghan’s male and female senor football county teams begin their National League campaigns with important games at home this weekend.

 

Allianz National Football League Division Three

Monaghan v Meath, Sunday, 2.00, Clones

 

Monaghan host Meath in Clones on Sunday in the first round of the NFL.

Both of these counties have made encouraging starts to the year, albeit without silverware in the pre-season competitions. Monaghan reached the final of the Dr. McKenna Cup with four straight wins against St. Mary’s University, Donegal, Fermanagh and Down, but the competition came to a disappointing end with a heavy defeat at the hands of Tyrone. Meath went through their O’Byrne Cup group unbeaten with wins over UCD and Longford and a draw with Louth, but they were edged out on score-difference for a semi-final place.

The Monaghan team named by Malachy O’Rourke shows just one change from the McKenna Cup Final, with Colin Walshe returning from college duties (and suspension) to replace the suspended Ronan McNally. There are NFL debuts for Fintan Kelly and Shane McQuillan, while Dermot Malone retains his place despite limping off last weekend. There is no place for Tommy Freeman, who has returned to training, among the substitutes, but college players Pete and Sam Dooney, Jack McCarron and Peter O’Hanlon all make the bench.

Meath have yet to announce their line-up, but even in the absence of injury victims Kevin Reilly, Shane McAnarney, Stephen Bray and Séamus Kenny, they will be able to call on experienced figures like Joe Sheridan, Graham Reilly, Peadar Byrne, Brian Farrell and David Bray, as well as upcoming players such as Ciarán Lenehan and Daithí Carroll.

These counties have met regularly in recent years, with mixed results, with their most recent meeting being last year when Meath had a six-point win against a wasteful Monaghan team. Their fortunes mirrored each other in 2012, as both were relegated from Division Two before failing to reach the business end of the championship. This should be a very competitive NFL opener, which could set up the winners for a serious tilt at promotion.

 

Monaghan (v Meath): Mark Keogh; Colin Walshe, Fintan Kelly, Kieran Duffy; Martin McElroy, Darren Hughes, Dessie Mone; Owen Lennon (Capt.), Dick Clerkin; Owen Duffy, Paul Finlay, Shane McQuillan; Kieran Hughes, Conor McManus, Dermot Malone.

Subs: Rory Beggan, Conor Galligan, Karl O’Connell, Neil McAdam, Pete Dooney, Gavin Doogan, Jack McCarron, Peter O’Hanlon, Sam Dooney, Pádraig Donaghy, Paul McArdle.

 

Ladies National Football League Division One

Monaghan v Cork, Saturday, 3.30, Inniskeen

 

The National League and All-Ireland ladies football champions go head-to-head when Monaghan welcome Cork to Inniskeen on Saturday.

Monaghan beat Cork in the NFL Division One Final last year and they will be determined to start their defence of the title in the same vain and get their own back on the Rebelettes, who knocked Gregory McGonigle’s side at the semi-final stage on their way to retaining the All-Ireland SFC.

Monaghan, who have started 2013 with a couple of handy wins in challenge matches, will be looking for big performances from the likes of Cathriona McConnell, Sharon Courtney, Christina Reilly, Aoife and Ciara McAnespie and Gráinne and Therese McNally. Cork will provide a formidable test if they are able to call on even a fraction of their star players, including Valerie Mulcahy, Juliet Murphy, Nollaig Cleary, Rhona Ní Bhuachalla, Briege Corkery and new captain Ann-Marie Walsh.