Former Monaghan star Paul Finlay says “the county is buzzing” ahead of this weekend’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Dublin.

Vinny Corey’s side meet the Leinster champions on Saturday evening at Croke Park (5.30pm) looking to tear up the script and progress to the Farney County’s first Sam Maguire Cup decider since 1930.

Speaking to RTE Sport ahead of this weekend’s matches, Finlay said the excitement level is huge around the county ahead of what he knows is a huge task for Corey’s men.

"The county is buzzing. Everybody’s in great form and looking forward to it,” he said.

"I can only assume Monaghan's preparation will be the same as per other matches. You can't just change what has got you here because of the opposition.

"It's an enormous task but Monaghan just have to prepare as best they can, the way they have for all the other games: match-ups, talk about how they want to defend, attack, want the kick-outs to go. The guys will be aware of the task but it’s still a game of football, and you have to go out and try to get the absolute best out of yourself.

"That’s what Monaghan will be focusing on. Play to the top of their ability and see where that gets them. If you can leave that pitch knowing you gave it everything, the result looks after itself. Most times when you’re able to do that you end up with a good result but at this level, in some cases…

"They are going to have to try and get a few scores on the board early and be watertight at the back.

"Talking about it and doing it are totally different because they are coming up against a Dublin team that seem to be hitting form at the right time. They went to a new level in the second half against Mayo and that’s going to be really hard to contain if Dublin come with that sort of game. But what can Monaghan do only prepare for that?"

Tweet

Most Read Stories