Paul McGrane says Monaghan will go into Sunday's Ulster Senior Football final with no fear of Armagh, backing the side to bring the kind of hunger that has already carried them into the decider. Armagh are favourites to end their 18-year wait for the Anglo-Celt Cup, but McGrane believes Monaghan's belief will not be shaken by that tag.
McGrane, the last Armagh captain to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup in 2008, pointed to Monaghan's wins over Armagh in the All-Ireland in 2023 and in the Ulster SFC in 2021 as evidence they will travel with confidence. He also said Armagh cannot afford to give away frees with Rory Beggan available for Monaghan, a warning that lands harder given the margins in knockout football.
Armagh have made a powerful run through the province, scoring 100 points across their three Ulster games and backing that up with a 28-point semi-final victory over Down. That form has left them strongly placed to end an 18-year wait for another title, but McGrane said the size of the challenge should not be underestimated.
Monaghan's route has been more surprising. They reached the final after a poor league campaign, yet have found a way through when the championship tightened. McGrane said the display of grit they showed against Derry and the way they handled the sideline points in that game suggested a team that will relish the occasion and will have no fear playing Armagh.
He said Armagh's management deserve immense credit for turning over players, keeping the side in Division One, nurturing the older group and bringing younger players through. Even so, he said the county's long wait, and the fact Armagh have suffered three successive Ulster defeats, will only matter if they can deliver when it counts. Aidan Forker, Rory Grugan and Aaron McKay, he said, would love to collect the medal they have chased for years, but past hunger alone will not win a final.
That is where the contest sharpens. Monaghan are seeking their first Ulster title since 1988, and McGrane said they will carry the same hunger as Armagh. But he also made clear that history offers no guarantees: the side that handles the pressure, and avoids the mistakes that invite Beggan into the game, is the side most likely to leave with the Anglo-Celt Cup.
For Armagh, Sunday is not just about ending a wait. It is about proving that a strong championship run can survive the one afternoon that matters most. For Monaghan, it is a chance to turn a season that began poorly into a title drive no one outside the county saw coming.
