The Farney will begin the new season without 14 players from last year’s panel due to retirements, travelling and the involvement of newly-crowned Ulster Club champions Scotstown in the All-Ireland series
Monaghan football manager Gabriel Bannigan has launched a passionate defence in favour of the restoration of pre-season competitions.
Speaking at Tuesday night’s launch of the Dr McKenna Cup in Armagh, Bannigan revealed that he could be without 14 of last year’s panel for the competition due to retirements, travelling and the involvement of newly-crowned Ulster Club champions Scotstown in the All-Ireland series.
The pre-season competitions were axed last year during Bannigan’s first season with the Farney, but, despite continued opposition from the GPA, they’ll return in the new year and the Monaghan boss feels the games against Fermanagh and Cavan will be vital for unearthing new talent.
“It’s going to be challenging for me because I’ve had the retirements of Kieran Duffy, Darren Hughes and Karl O’Connell,” said Bannigan.
“Ciaran McNulty has gone travelling and I have three long-term injuries in Killian Lavelle, who is going to miss the entire league, Bobby McCaul who is going to miss most of the league, Mick Hammill who will probably miss the entire league.
“So if you take those seven players and another seven Scotstown players out of my panel, that’s 14 of last year’s 26 that I’m starting the season without. That’s the challenge.
“Now, tell me that I don’t need the McKenna Cup? With all the new players that I need to look at, of course I need the McKenna Cup!
“I need those games, I need those opportunities, the players need those opportunities. Because we need to unearth some new faces for the season ahead.”
With an Ulster derby against Armagh in round one of the National Football League, Bannigan knows his side need to hit the ground running when the 2026 campaign gets going.
“We’re up in Division One and I’m missing numbers that I’d rather not be missing,” added Bannigan.
“That makes the task of Division One bigger but that’s still where you want to be playing.
“Hopefully as the league goes on, we’ll get stronger. We’ll get more of those boys back and we’ll become stronger and, please God, come the summer we’ll have a stronger Monaghan group.”
Just when Bannigan will have his Scotstown contingent back, including the likes of Rory Beggan, Conor McCarthy and Jack McCarron, remains to be seen.
After their extra-time victory over Kilcoo in last weekend’s Ulster Club final, An Bhoth are scheduled to face Connacht champions St Brigid’s in the All-Ireland semi-final on Sunday, January 4 at Kingspan Breffni.
Should they progress to the All-Ireland final on the weekend of January 17/18, it is likely that they’ll sit out at least a couple of Monaghan’s early League games.
Despite the problem that poses for the Farney in terms of trying to retain their Division One status, Bannigan stressed his delight at Scotstown’s achievement.
“I’m absolutely delighted for them and very proud,” stated Bannigan.
“And I’m delighted for the Scotstown club as well because they’ve won 10 out of 13 Monaghan championships and they’ve been unlucky in some Ulster club campaigns.
“They thoroughly deserved their victory and I was delighted to see a Monaghan team winning an Ulster championship.
“It’s only going to do those players, some of those younger boys, the future Monaghan senior players – they’re only going to benefit from that experience.”
