Latest news with #RoryBeggan
Irish Times
30-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Rory Beggan is Monaghan's ace card who stops forwards at one end and puts fear in defenders down the other
The Rory Beggan conundrum continues. This weekend, the contestants trying to solve the puzzle are the Clare footballers. During my Dublin career, when it came to taking on Monaghan , the two players we immediately thought of were Beggan and Conor McManus . While the retirement of McManus has robbed Monaghan of their generational forward, the new rules in Gaelic football have armed their goalkeeper - also a generational talent - with a new set of arrows. I'm talking about two-pointers. Beggan was Monaghan's top scorer in the National Football League , finishing their successful Division Two campaign with 0-38. Within that total there were 17 two-pointers, all bar one of which came from a placed ball. READ MORE He was back at it against Louth last week, kicking a pair of two-pointers from placed balls in a game Monaghan won by six points . We'll return to the merits of two-point frees later, but first it's important to understand the dilemma facing teams in relation to Beggan's attributes within the new rules. The Monaghan No1 is among a crop of elite goalkeepers who changed the role and brought the position to a new level. When we were preparing to play Monaghan, there was a lot of emphasis on him, not just on his kickouts but also how best to deal with him when he comes beyond his natural area and roams further up the field. His foot-passing and general game awareness are of a very high quality. We were also conscious of his ability to kick frees from distance, but the arrival of two-pointers to Gaelic football has been a game changer. It has really empowered Beggan and Monaghan in terms of taking on long-range efforts. In short, it's worth the risk now. In a year their greatest ever forward retired, who would have predicted they would put up such high scoring tallies? That realisation challenges defenders and forces them to make split-second decisions that need to be perfect. Players who might normally tackle hard are being forced to reconsider their level of force against Monaghan. If they commit to a tackle against the Farney men, it better be right on the money. The jeopardy has increased. The risk-reward equation is weighted in favour of Monaghan as they have Beggan to attempt long-distance frees. For defending teams, it means the potential punishment for a foul has been doubled. It's almost too risky to tackle at times. All of this creates doubt among defenders. Anxious not to be the reason Monaghan score a two-pointer, they step off. This leads to the kind of defensive uncertainty forwards thrive on. Monaghan's Conor McCarthy in possession during last weekend's victory against Louth. Photograph: Ciaran Culligan /Inpho If you step off a little bit against Monaghan, you are in danger of enabling strong ball-carriers like Conor McCarthy, Micheál Bannigan and Stephen O'Hanlon to break through the lines and punish you in open play. It's a double-edged sword for defenders. Conceding a long-distance free is potentially momentum swinging in a game against Monaghan because you just know Beggan is going to come up and have a swing at it. There are even more elements to it as well. Monaghan will not only bring Beggan up to try bag the prize of two points, but as he prepares to take that kick, it is an ideal opportunity for his teammates to set up for the subsequent kickout. It used to be very hard, at times, to get set on a kickout. With the new rules, where the kickout has to go beyond the arc, it's a lot easier to get pressed up. Free kicks and set plays are perfect situations to target kick-outs and it is something Monaghan do well. Gabriel Bannigan's men were the highest scoring team across all four divisions of the National League this season. They amassed a combined total of 193 points in their seven group games. Kerry were next on that list, with 170. Monaghan's average from those seven league games was 27.5 points per outing. In a year their greatest ever forward retired, who would have predicted they would put up such high scoring tallies? They have put up decent scores in their two championship games so far this summer as well – 0-21 against Donegal and 1-23 against Louth. Their high-scoring return is largely down to the factors I have highlighted: Beggan having the licence to kick from distance without fear of criticism should they not all sail over, plus Monaghan's ball-carriers having the freedom to take on their man knowing if they don't create a scoring opportunity, there's a good chance they'll draw a foul. And when they do draw a foul, that man Beggan will run up to take it. Rory Beggan takes the ball forward for Monaghan during their Division Two match against Meath in March. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Even if it doesn't yield a score, Monaghan will invariably be in a great position to keep the opposition pinned in and steal the kickout. There were occasions over the years when I questioned Beggan's decision to shoot from certain difficult angles. Purely from a free-taking perspective, his percentages probably weren't fantastic; I'd imagine they were below 50 per cent a lot of the time. But those kicks are worth the risk now because two points are on offer, along with a chance to squeeze the opposition kick-out. The Donegal game in the Ulster championship is the outlier. When Donegal were faced with the Beggan conundrum, they concluded that denying Monaghan frees would be the most effective way of negating their attack. To an extent it worked. That's why I think they shouldn't be worth two points Donegal defenders refused to commit themselves to any borderline tackles within scoreable range – which for Beggan is a considerable distance. Donegal were so disciplined that Beggan wasn't afforded any opportunity of knocking over a placed ball two-pointer. At full-time, all the Monaghan goalkeeper had contributed on the scoreboard was one point, from a 45. Monaghan still ran up a good tally of points in that game, but there were no frees from outside the arc registered. Indeed, only 0-2 of Monaghan's 0-21 total came from frees – Micheál Bannigan kicking over a pair from inside the arc. Donegal's gameplan was built on a logic of taking away the weapon of Beggan's frees. If imposed successfully - and it was - they knew their opponents would be reduced to scoring points from play. You can be sure Peter Keane and his Clare management team have been discussing how to approach the Beggan conundrum this week. It's a key area for any team trying to overcome the Farney County. Monaghan fans will travel to Sunday's match against Clare expecting to see the two-point flag waved. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho As for the two-point rule in general, while I'm not averse to the idea of two-pointers from open play, I think the punishment of conceding two points for what can often be an innocuous foul is very harsh. I don't feel the punishment fits the crime. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have been coming out with a protest against two-point frees if they were introduced during my Dublin career. But I honestly don't think many of those scores from long-range placed balls justify two points. Free takers are operating at such a high level now that many of those opportunities are well within their range. That's why I think they shouldn't be worth two points. Not that Monaghan are likely to be joining any campaign for change. Their victory over Louth has put them in a strong position in Group Three and if they get over Clare in Clones on Sunday, Gabriel Bannigan's side will be in pole position to top the table. It looks very likely that Rory Beggan will still be posing problems for opponents come All-Ireland quarter-final weekend.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Monaghan defeat four-goal Louth in All-Ireland opener
Monaghan defeated Louth 1-23 to 4-8 in their opening Group Three match of the All-Ireland round-robin series at Newbridge on Saturday. The game quickly sparked into life with two goals in the first six minutes. First, Stephen O'Hanlon got the better of Niall McDonnell to put the Farney men in the lead, then Sam Mulroy made the most of Tommy Durnin's pass to respond for the Leinster champions. Mulroy and O'Hanlon both added points to their goals while goalkeeper Rory Beggan came forward to knock over a two-pointer. Louth's second goal made it 1-10 to 2-01, Durnin smashing home Ciaran Downey's rebounded effort. Monaghan's advantage at the break was 1-11 to 2-5, the Ulster side having been the better team, but Ryan Burns' two-pointer keeping Louth within touching distance. Monaghan began the second half strongly with four unanswered points from O'Hanlon (2), Dessie Ward and Stephen Mooney. Louth battled back however and when Conor Grimes was brought down after a surging run, Mulroy dispatched the penalty despite Beggan going the right way. That reduced the arrears to 1-16 to 3-7 but Monaghan responded well with points from Micheal Bannigan, sub Jack McCarron and Conor McCarthy, then two-pointers from Beggan and Bannigan. In the final minute, Ryan Burns' pass set up Durnin for Louth's fourth goal but it was their opponents who held on for a deserved win. Next up for Monaghan will be a meeting with Clare, while Louth will face Down in their next fixture.
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Monaghan defeat four-goal Louth in All-Ireland opener
Monaghan defeated Louth 1-23 to 4-8 in their opening Group Three match of the All-Ireland round-robin series at Newbridge on game quickly sparked into life with two goals in the first six Stephen O'Hanlon got the better of Niall McDonnell to put the Farney men in the lead, then Sam Mulroy made the most of Tommy Durnin's pass to respond for the Leinster and O'Hanlon both added points to their goals while goalkeeper Rory Beggan came forward to knock over a second goal made it 1-10 to 2-01, Durnin smashing home Ciaran Downey's rebounded advantage at the break was 1-11 to 2-5, the Ulster side having been the better team, but Ryan Burns' two-pointer keeping Louth within touching began the second half strongly with four unanswered points from O'Hanlon (2), Dessie Ward and Stephen battled back however and when Conor Grimes was brought down after a surging run, Mulroy dispatched the penalty despite Beggan going the right reduced the arrears to 1-16 to 3-7 but Monaghan responded well with points from Micheal Bannigan, sub Jack McCarron and Conor McCarthy, then two-pointers from Beggan and the final minute, Ryan Burns' pass set up Durnin for Louth's fourth goal but it was their opponents who held on for a deserved up for Monaghan will be a meeting with Clare, while Louth will face Down in their next fixture.
Irish Independent
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
GAA championship: Louth v Monaghan – Follow all today's action as it happens
Live | Welcome to GAA championship live blog with Gaelic football's All-Ireland qualifiers the main focus of today's action. Meanwhile in hurling, there's some Lory Meagher and Joe McDonagh Cup action down for decision. Follow all the action here. Just now 26' Louth 2-01 Monaghan 1-10 Micheal Bannigan has tagged on two more points to increase Monaghan's lead as we approach half-time. The latter score was a beautifully measured free into the driving wind and rain. Curled it delightfully from right to left. 5 minutes ago All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Armagh 0-05 Derry 0-01 (10 mins) Conor Glass opened the scoring for Derry but Armagh have reeled off the last 5 unanswered scores with one taking the form of a two-pointer scored by Oisin Conaty. 9 minutes ago 21' Louth 2-01 Monaghan 1-08 Monaghan have responded well to the concession of that goal with two scores from Stephen Mooney preceding a fine point from Ciaran Duffy who burst though a gap to convert. 15 minutes ago 13' Louth 2-01 Monaghan 1-05 GOAL! It's raining goals in Newbridge as Ciaran Downey takes on the shot which is saved by Rory Beggan. The ball falls kindly for Tommy Durnin who followed in to draw a boot on it and lash it to an empty net. Micheal Bannigan hits back for the Farney men at the other end to open his account. 19 minutes ago 11' Louth 1-01 Monaghan 1-04 Sam Mulroy fires over a free from close range, but in the next passage of play the Wee County break the three-man rule as Brendan Cawley is informed of the rule breach. Rory Beggan trots up the field to drill over a two-pointer from the free as Stephen O'Hanlon follows up with a point of his own. 22 minutes ago 7' Louth 1-00 Monaghan 1-01 GOAL! A minute after a point from Dessie Ward, Tommy Durnin fires in a beautiful pass to Sam Mulroy who drills it past Rory Beggan! Beautiful response from Ger Brennan's side. 25 minutes ago 2' Louth 0-00 Monaghan 1-00 GOAL! A dream start for Monaghan as Conor McCarthy hares up the right sideline to handpass it in to Stephen O'Hanlon who squeezes his effort past Niall McDonnell in the Louth goal. He got fingertips to it but couldn't keep it out! 29 minutes ago 1' The ball is thrown in and we are off! It's not quite as sunny as weekends gone by in Newbridge. A stronger southerly breeze is accompanied by rain showers and temperatures of around 15 degrees this afternoon. The referee for this afternoon's game is Brendan Cawley hailing from the Sarsfields GAA Club in County Kildare. 30 minutes ago After their Leinster triumph, former Monaghan footballer Dick Clerkin believes Louth have to back up their success with consistency over the All-Ireland series campaign: Dick Clerkin: Having climbed their Leinster mountain, Louth must now prove they can stay in the race with the game's big boys Back in June 2002, I lined out centre half-back when Monaghan hosted Louth in a first-round qualifier. In a damp and sparsely attended St Tiernach's Park, Clones, it was one of those largely irrelevant first-round clashes during the early days of the qualifiers. For some, the main prize on offer was seeing who could book their flights to the States first. 31 minutes ago All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 1-13 Cork 0-12 (Full-time) Robbie Brennan and Meath bounce back from their Leinster final heartbreak with victory over the Rebels this afternoon at a wet and windy Pairc Tailteann. Jordan Morris bagged the crucial goal in the first-half and although Colm O'Callaghan and Mark Cronin managed two-pointers for Cork, it wasn't to be fore John Cleary's men in the end. 32 minutes ago HERE'S THE MONAGHAN LINE UP: Gabriel Bannigan will be hoping his side can spring an upset on the newly crowned Leinster champions today in Newbridge. Rory Beggan starts in goals and offers considerable threat from placed balls out the field. Ryan Wylie is one of the Farney's elder statesmen with ample knowhow, while Conor McCarthy loves to get forward from half-back. Stephen O'Hanlon and Micheal Bannigan form a strong half-forward line. Three late changes sees Killian Lavelle, Stephen Mooney and Ryan McAnespie start ahead of Ciaran McNulty, David Garland and Jack McCarron. @monaghangaa on Twitter / X 📣TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT Monaghan Senior Football Manager Gabriel has announced the Monaghan team to play Louth this Saturday as we commence our All-Ireland Championship Campaign!🆚Louth🏟️Cedral St Conleth's Newbridge ⏱️16:45@activ8energies @McAreeEng @MoffettAuto #shoecity @monaghangaa (@monaghangaa) May 22, 2025 33 minutes ago LOUTH TEAM NEWS: A few late changes to the Louth team from the graphic below as Dermot Campbell and Peter Lynch have been ruled out of the squad. Emmet Carolan and Dan Corcoran come into the side. After their Leinster provincial success, Louth announced their team to face Monaghan on Thursday night. The Wee County set up under manager Ger Brennan with Niall McDonnell in goals and the offensive-minded Craig Lennon at left half-back. Vice-captain Tommy Durnin starts in midfield with half-forward Conor Grimes and full-forward Sam Mulroy as well as Ryan Burns the standout names in attack: Louth GAA on Twitter / X ❗️TEAM NEWS DROPPED❗️Ger Brennan names his 26 man panel for this Saturday's; Sam Maguire Cup opener with Monaghan in Newbridge!📝🏟️LúAbú❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️🤍 Louth GAA (@louthgaa) May 22, 2025 46 minutes ago All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 1-12 Cork 0-12 (64 mins) A frantic few minutes in Pairc Tailteann have just passed as Cork briefly cut the deficit to a solitary score thanks to a two-pointer from Mark Cronin and a Chris Og Jones effort. Meath have steadied the ship and survived the Rebels' storm once again with a free from Matthew Costello and James Conlon converting from open play. 53 minutes ago All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 1-10 Cork 0-09 (56 mins) Jordan Morris and Sean Coffey reel off two fine scores for the Royals before second-half substitute Ruairi Deane responded for Cork. The Rebels have since introduced Rory Maguire and Eanna O'Hanlon for Sean Dore and Cathail O'Mahony. Matty Taylor of Cork in action against Ruairí Kinsella of Meath. Sportsfile Today 11:13 AM All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 1-08 Cork 0-08 (50 mins) Eoghan Frayne split the posts with a free a couple of minutes before Matthew Costello raised the umpire's white flag from play. James Conlon opens his account for the day with his first score to restore the 3-point lead. The Royals are first to call upon the cavalry as Keith Curtis and Adam O'Neill replace Frayne and Jack Flynn. Today 11:02 AM All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 1-05 Cork 0-08 (39 mins) The second-half is back underway in Navan and Cork have eaten into the Royals' half-time lead to restore parity. Marry Taylor clipped over a point a minute before midfielder Colm O'Callaghan availed of the wind to fire over the first two-point score of the game from the edge of the 40-metre arc. Today 10:49 AM All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 1-05 Cork 0-05 (Half-time) Still very much all to play for at the interval in Pairc Tailteann as the Royals head into the dressing rooms with a lead courtesy of Jordan Morris' goal on 31 minutes. Chris Og Jones (0-3) coupled with a pair of Mark Cronin frees keeps the Rebels in touch. Worth mentioning Cork were playing into the wind in that half, so it'll be interesting to see if they can take advantage of it after the break. Today 10:45 AM Joe McDonagh Cup Kerry 1-14 Westmeath 2-28 (Full-time) Killian Doyle kept up his consistent scoring after the break while David O'Reilly surged in for a goal in the 41st-minute. Westmeath tagged on a further 1-12 in total after the break to the Kingdom's 0-9 which ensured the double-scores win. Carlow 2-17 Laois 1-20 (Full-time) Dramatic scenes at the death in Cullen Park as Laois snatch a final berth in the Joe McDonagh Cup courtesy of a last minute goal. Such was the chaos caused by the free dropped into the large parallelogram, it's unknown who actually got the final touch. The Lilywhites await them in the final. Kildare 1-26 Down 1-14 (Full-time) Brian Dowling's men tagged on their fourth win of the Joe McDonagh Cup campaign with a routine win over Down. The Mourne men bagged a consolation goal at the death through Shea Pucci, but the likes of David Qualter (1-13), Darragh Melville and Gerry Keegan (0-3, each) ensured their place in the final. Today 10:34 AM All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 1-03 Cork 0-05 (31 mins) GOAL! Shortly after Matthew Costello's point, Jordan Morris takes full advantage of the space in front of him. He scythed his way through the Cork half-back line and sold the dummy before blasting it past Micheal Aodh Martin. Today 10:25 AM All-Ireland Football Series - Group Stage Meath 0-02 Cork 0-04 (23 mins) Eoghan Frayne coverts from a placed ball before the Rebels open up a narrow lead as Chris Og Jones fires over two scores either side of a Mark Cronin free.
