Peter Canavan: There'll be a sting in the Monaghan tail yet

RTÉ GAA analyst Peter Canavan has warned against writing off Division 1's great survivors Monaghan as the Farney County prepare for the crux of their league campaign.

After an eye-catching opening win over Dublin at Croke Park, Vinny Corey’s side have suffered heavy defeats to Kerry, Derry and, most recently, Roscommon to slump to the bottom of the table.

With Galway visiting Clones on Sunday, Canavan said that there is life yet in the survival charge of a team that has produced some real Houdini acts in what is now a 10-year stay in the top division.

"They looked electric that night down in Croke Park," Canavan told the RTÉ GAA podcast of that round one win over Dublin.

"Since that they’ve gone off the boil surprisingly. They have a lot of younger players playing, maybe it’s not that surprising, but the fact that they played so well against Dublin, Vinny would have been wanting his troops to carry on in that vein of form.

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"But the thing about Monaghan, you daren’t write them off.

"I think they will be bitterly disappointed, not the fact that they just lost against Roscommon last week, they were well and truly beaten. It was 1-16 to seven points, that was a hammering.

"That’s very unlike Monaghan in the National League. No matter who they play against they’re always competitive.

"I’d be amazed if there’s not a sting in the tail here from them."

Monaghan’s survival instincts have been blunted by a string of high-profile absentees.

Goalkeeper Rory Beggan is competing in the NFL