Shame not to get a crack at a McKenna Cup final, but maybe not the end of the world with the Dublin game on the horizon. Given the number and timings of our substitutions tonight, I'd say the management were of similar mind. The result was very much secondary to getting miles in the legs for as many men as possible.
There are a few boys for me that look a bit behind the rest on their conditioning. Some of them experienced fellas too, so they've a bit of work to do to get up to speed for the league. Mixed bag of stuff from the newer players, as can be expected. Was impressed with Ciaran Mackin though - big lad with and good engine and decent in the air. Definitely an immediate option for us somewhere in the middle 8. Magill in goals had a couple of wobbles, but the length of his kickouts is impressive. He was able to clear the midfield with one tonight. This is an important asset for GKs in the game today, as longer kickouts make it much more demanding for the opposition to effectively push up. Hughes is not blessed with a particularly long kickout, and this is one avenue through which Magill could feasibly challenge him for the jersey.
Game itself is difficult to really analyse given the amount of changes and the fact both managements were more concerned with players getting game time than anything else. A draw was probably a fair result - we were a good bit the better team in the first half, but Monaghan dominated possession in the second. Maybe with a more sympathetic referee we would've held on by a point or two. Penalties are silly in Gaelic football.
Beggan's positioning seem to really confuse us in the second half. When we counterattacked while he was up the pitch, we seemed to panic and try to force some advantage from the unusually open goal. But unless someone was going to take a pop from 70 yards then it didn't really matter where Beggan was. More patience at these junctures could've yielded an extra couple of scores, but I suppose it's difficult with a giddy crowd roaring at the situation. Something to work on for the league encounter, when he'll likely be at the same craic.