NFL DIVISION ONE: Monaghan 0-19 Galway 0-14:MONAGHAN, with seven league debutants, got their campaign off to a winning start when they out-witted a more experienced Galway side in Clones yesterday.
That inexperience did show in the first half, but, as the game wore on, Monaghan grew in confidence and went on to outplay their opponents for long periods.
Monaghan laid the foundations for victory with a brilliant 22-minute spell in the second half during which they hit eight points without reply between the third and 25th minutes to come from being two in arrears a minute into the second half to going six points in front.
In the earlier stages Galway looked the more impressive and they had Monaghan chasing the game as they rattled off early scores mostly through Seán Armstrong and Matthew Clancy.
Gareth Bradshaw was giving them a foothold in midfield and such was their fluency in the opening 20 minutes they looked as if they could romp to victory.
Wing back Gary O’Donnell and midfielder Eddie Hoare registered early points with Paul Finlay opening Monaghan’s account in the fifth minute from a free.
Galway then hit three in a row to go four up, but, by the end of the opening quarter, Monaghan had begun to settle with points by Christopher McGuinness and Mark Downey bringing the margin down to two.The second quarter was a much more even affair with the sides exchanging points regularly but Galway always showed the capacity to respond any time that Monaghan threatened.
By the 27th minute they had reopened a four-point lead, a brace from Gary Sice and Eddie Hoare helping to extend their advantage, but in the final six minutes, Monaghan claimed three points, two by Conor McManus and one from a free by Paul Finlay to leave the half-time score Galway 0-10 to Monaghan’s 0-9.
With a minute of the resumption, Armstrong pointed a free to restore Galway to a two-point lead, but they were not to score again until the 28th minute by which stage Monaghan were six in front after rattling off eight unanswered points as they grew in confidence and took increasing control.
Galway were now only a shadow of the team they had been in the first half with the best they could do was exchanging points on a few occasions in the final 10 minutes of normal time and with a couple of minutes of stoppage-time added they were unable to get the goal they needed to get back into contention.
MONAGHAN:M Keogh; C Walshe, D Mone, K Duffy; D Wylie, C Brady, D Hughes; N McAdam (0-1), D Clerkin (0-2); G Doogan, M Downey (0-2), J Turley; C McGuinness (0-2), P Finlay (0-6, five frees), C McManus (0-5, two frees). Subs: C Galligan (0-1) for D Wylie, C Hughes for C Brady, D Malone for J Turley, B McKenna for M Downey.
GALWAY:A Faherty; K Fitzgerald, F Hanley, K McGrath; G O'Donnell (0-1), N Coyne, A Burke; G Bradshaw, A Hoare (0-2); G Higgins (0-1), C Bane (0-2), G Sice (0-1); M Clancy (0-2, one free), C DePaor, S Armstrong (0-4, two frees). Subs: D Reilly for K Fitzgerald, N Coleman for C De Paor, D Cummins (0-1) for M Clancy, B Flaherty for N Coyne.
Referee:M Deegan (Laois).
