Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Sport
Paddy Tierney

Derry vs Monaghan: Player ratings from Saturday's Ulster SFC semi-final

Derry ratings

Odhran Lynch

Kicked a point from play and won three of Rory Beggan’s kick-outs. Beaten twice, but the second Monaghan goal came after he saved Ryan Wylie’s shot. 7.5

Chrissy McKaigue

Started on McManus briefly before marking Jack McCarron out of the game. McCarron was replaced before half-time and McKaigue then held McManus scoreless from play in the second half. 8.5

Eoin McEvoy

Another solid Championship performance from the Derry youngster. Wasn’t fazed by Karl Gallagher and couldn’t really be faulted for the second Monaghan goal, which came via a rebound. 7.5

Conor McCluskey

Took his goal like a corner-forward. McCluskey’s pace is lethal and he was able to keep Conor McManus scoreless from play in the first half as well. 8

Conor Doherty

Yet another Derry defender to add his name to the scoresheet, Conor Doherty perhaps was unfortunate that another disputed effort was ruled wide. 7.5

Gareth McKinless

Picked up a knock in the first half and was temporarily replaced by Benny Heron. Made it back for the second half and probably shaded his battle with Karl O’Connell after a difficult start. 6.5

Padraig McGrogan

Scored two classy points from wing-back and had a spell marking Karl Gallagher before moving on to Kieran Hughes. 8.5

Conor Glass

Plucked balls out of the sky in the full-back line as often as he did in midfield. Found the time to get forward and score two from play in a brilliant display. 8.5

Brendan Rogers

Booked for a high tackle in the early stages of the second half, but that was the only negative in a classy display from the Slaughtneil midfielder, who also kicked a point. 8

Padraig Cassidy

Not as impressive as he was against Fermanagh. Padraig Cassidy found it difficult to escape the attention of Ryan Wylie and was replaced midway through the second half. 6

Paul Cassidy

Scored two cracking points from play in the first half, but also missed one and dropped another short of the target. Won plenty of ball and gave Conor McCarthy the runaround. 7

Ethan Doherty

Seemed to have more possessions than any other player on the pitch on the first half and Ryan O’Toole didn’t get close enough to Doherty with the Glen star scoring two points from play. 8.5

Niall Toner

Had Ryan Wylie and Kieran Duffy for company at different spells during Sunday’s game. Struggled to make his presence felt. Was fouled for one free which he converted. 6.5

Shane McGuigan - Star Man

Shane McGuigan scored 0-9 in Derry's Ulster SFC semi-final win over Monaghan on Saturday (©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)

Back-to-back Man-of-the-Match awards for Shane McGuigan. Derry’s best forward is also the best forward in Ulster on current form. The Slaughtneil star kicked 0-9 on Sunday with four points coming from play. Two of those were scores off balance when he looked to be fouled. Monaghan simply couldn’t handle him. 9

Niall Loughlin

Was one of the few Derry players who struggled on Saturday. Conor Boyle kept close tabs on him and made way for Ciaran McFaul in the early stages of the second half. 5

Subs:

Benny Heron: Two substitute appearances on Saturday, once for McKinless as a temporary replacement and then on for Padraig Cassidy. Made a great tackle on Bannigan in the second half. 6.5

Ciaran McFaul: Made his eagerly-anticipated comeback and marked Gary Mohan in the closing stages. 6

Ben McCarron: Made a late cameo, but wasn’t able to make much of an impact. 5

Paul McNeil: Not on long enough to be rated

Lachlan Murray: Not on long enough to be rated

Monaghan ratings

Rory Beggan

Converted two excellent frees from over 50 metres out, but then missed an easier 45 in the first half. Smart save to deny Niall Toner late on and lacked his usual accuracy from restarts. 6.5

Karl O’Connell

Monaghan's Karl O Connell celebrates scoring a goal in the first half (©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)

For the second game running, Karl O’Connell was one of Monaghan’s best players. On this occasion, his 1-1 haul wasn’t enough to steer his side to victory. 7.5

Kieran Duffy

Struggled badly on Shane McGuigan in the first half with the Derry attacker scoring three points from play. Fared better on Niall Toner in the second half. 6.5

Ryan Wylie

Picked up a booking early in the second half. Started out on Padraig Cassidy before being moved on to Niall Toner and performed well on both Derry players. 7

Conor Boyle

Marked Niall Loughlin out of the game in the first half before being moved on to the in-form Shane McGuigan in the second half. Also kicked a good score. 7

Dessie Ward

Kicked a bad wide in the first half and struggled to cope with the sheer volume of Derry runners from deep. 5.5

Ryan O’Toole

Monaghan's hero from their Tyrone victory, Ryan O’Toole was given the task of tracking Ethan Doherty and couldn’t get close enough to the Glen ace to stop him. Was eventually moved on to Loughlin. 6

Darren Hughes

Monaghan were already struggling at midfield by the time Darren Hughes picked up an injury. Replaced by his brother Kieran before half-time. 5

Killian Lavelle

Earned his side one free, but was also guilty of giving away a few himself. Couldn’t get to grips with Conor Glass, but few can at present. 6

Stephen O’Hanlon

Another Monaghan player who struggled to reach the heights of the Tyrone game. O’Hanlon tagged on a point in the second half, but Monaghan needed more from him. 6

Michael Bannigan

Like O’Hanlon, he registered a point when the game was beyond the Farney. Had one shot blocked down and was stripped of possession when he needed to play the ball quicker in the second half. 5.5

Conor McCarthy

Couldn’t get near Paul Cassidy in the first half and McCarthy wasn’t able to get forward to contribute to the scoreboard. 5.5

Jack McCarron

Looks out of sorts and was replaced early on for the second game running after being held scoreless by Chrissy McKaigue. 5

Karl Gallagher

Had a fine battle with Eoin McEvoy. Took his goal well in the second half and worked hard throughout. 6.5

Conor McManus

Kicked a couple of brilliant frees in the first half, but was held scoreless from play throughout by Conor McCluskey and then Chrissy McKaigue. 6.5

Subs:

Kieran Hughes: On for his brother Darren late in the first half. Got on plenty of ball and kicked a good score. 6.5

Gary Mohan: He could claim his pass led to Monaghan’s second goal, but he was probably aiming for a point. 5.5

Conor Leonard : On for Gallagher in the closing stages and had a shot blocked down by Conor Glass late on. 5

Sean Jones: Not on long enough to be rated.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.