Monaghan Target First Ulster Final Win Since 1988 Against Armagh
Monaghan will face Armagh in Sunday’s ulster final at Clones, with a first Ulster title since 1988 now within reach. Armagh arrive having won their three Ulster games by scoring 100 points, but Monaghan have already shown they can live with them.
That matchup carries more than a trophy. Monaghan beat Armagh in the Ulster SFC in 2021 and again in the All-Ireland in 2023, while Armagh are trying to end three successive Ulster defeats and lift the Anglo-Celt Cup after an 18-year wait.
McGrane backs Monaghan
Paul McGrane expects Monaghan to go into the final without hesitation. The seven-time Ulster Championship winner and former Armagh captain said, "There's a Monaghan team coming that are Ulster club champions, on their own patch and the display of grit they showed against Derry and to do what they did with the sideline points, they'll relish playing Armagh."
He added, "They'll have no fear playing them." Monaghan’s recent results give that view some grounding: they beat Armagh in Croke Park in a shootout win and later won 4-17 to 2-2 in Pairc Esler, two results that leave little reason for caution inside their camp.
Beggan and the frees
McGrane pointed to one area Armagh cannot give away cheaply. "They're going with hunger the same that Armagh have to get over the line and get an Ulster title themselves," he said, warning that Armagh will be very wary of conceding frees with Rory Beggan on hand for Monaghan.
Beggan can churn out two-pointers, and that threat changes how Armagh have to defend in front of their own posts. For a team that has stayed up in Division One and brought young players into the side, the margin for error narrows fast when a free can turn into two.
Armagh’s final push
Armagh’s own pressure is just as plain. McGrane said Aidan Forker, Rory Grugan and Aaron McKay would love to get an Ulster medal, and he noted that there are players who have soldiered for years and want that reward after so many near-misses.
"From Armagh's point of view, the management deserve immense credit. The turnover of players, they've stayed up in Division One, nurtured the old fellas, transitioned in the young fellas. They've stepped up each part of the championship," he said. "I've no doubt there's plenty of hurt in the locker, but you have to go deliver a big performance and hopefully the past experiences help you get over the line."
That leaves Sunday with a clean split of motives: Monaghan chasing a first Ulster title since 1988, and Armagh trying to stop the kind of late disappointment that has followed them through three straight finals.
