FOLLOWING Sunday’s All-Ireland quarter-final draw, Jim Gavin will have watched back the DVD of Monaghan’s victory over Down with interest.
Although they have yet to get over the line against the Dubs during Gavin’s tenure, the Farneymen have provided stout opposition for the back-to-back All-Ireland winners on several occasions during the past three years.
However, despite having eight points to spare against the Mournemen on Saturday, boss Malachy O’Rourke conceded that his men have yet to hit “peak form” in this year’s Championship.
And the Monaghan boss will have been concerned by the havoc Connaire Harrison wreaked for a second time this summer, the Down full-forward bagging 1-4 - seeing off four different markers in the process.
Monaghan will know all too well that, if it takes them 35 minutes to get to grips with Dublin’s full-forward line this weekend, the Sky Blues are likely to be out of sight.
With a forward line boasting the combined talents of men like Paul Mannion, Dean Rock, Paddy Andrews and Con O’Callaghan, with Bernard Brogan and Kevin McManamon options from the bench, lessons must be learned – and fast.
“It wasn’t the men we were putting on him [Harrison] so much, we just weren’t getting a handle on them across the middle third, they were coming from their 45 very quick and they were getting good ball in,” admitted experienced defender Colin Walshe in the aftermath of Saturday’s Qualifier success.
“It was something we just weren't dealing well with in the first half but we got to grips with it a bit better in the second half and slowed them down and they didn't get that quality ball inside.
“Any team, if you give them that kind of room and time on the ball, they will put quality ball in. Down are an attacking team and we expected if we gave them time and space on the ball they would punish us.
“We tried to express ourselves and while we hadn't played our best football we were still level. We wanted to get over the line.
“We knew we had to up our performance and if we got the tackles in the middle and get some turnovers we'd start playing better football and so we did.”
And revenge for that June 24 defeat, Walshe insists, was not on their minds in the lead-up to Saturday’s encounter.
“It was a tricky enough one - it wasn't a revenge game,” continued the Doohamlet man.
“We were in the last 12 having come through the back-door in the last couple of games and were looking to get back in an All-Ireland quarter-final. It was just the way the draw went that we faced a team we'd faced previously.
“Down did turn us over in the Ulster semi-final and it was a very disappointing performance from us and we knew we had to put things right.”
In the Leinster final, Kildare exposed some of Dublin’s defensive vulnerabilities, with the pace and power of Daniel Flynn, Niall Kelly and Paddy Brophy causing problems as the Lilywhites racked up 1-17 at Croke Park.
The Farneymen are certainly not lacking in firepower, with Conor McManus – despite only scoring twice from play – instrumental in all that was good about Monaghan’s attacking play on Saturday.
And it was the introduction of Conor McCarthy and Jack McCarron from the bench that effectively ended the Down challenge, with McCarthy looking especially at home on the big stage as he slotted over four from play in an impressive second half cameo.
McCarron – who scored 1-9 in a stellar showing against the Dubs during the League - also showed flashes of his quality and both will have given O’Rourke food for thought ahead of their date with the Dubs.
“It's nip and tuck who Malachy decides to throw-in from the start,” said Walshe.
“Darren Freeman came in for his first start and he was lively, though it was difficult enough because they had bodies back, but the boys came in and made a great impact. Conor and Jack kicked great points and that's what you need.
“We hit a good total for Croke Park and that’s something we'll try to do again next week.”
