By Ciaran Woods

c.woods@gaeliclife.com

IT MAY be only March, but Monaghan will be the team to beat in Ulster when this summer's championship comes around, according to Cork legend Niall Cahalane. It's high praise indeed for Seamus McEneaney's side from the man who won two All-star awards at the back for the Rebels in the late '80's, and he is fully confident that Banty's boys will provide a stern examination of his native Cork when they meet this weekend.

Monaghan are currently flying solo at the top of Division Two, two points clear of their closest rivals Dublin. McEneaney's men took advantage of the Dubs' inactivity last weekend to pull clear courtesy of victory over Meath, while Dublin were facing the bus journey back to the capital after a days inactivity in Crossmaglen.

It's a strong position for the Oriel side to be in with just two more games to play, and another two points gained against Cork this weekend would reinforce their stranglehold on the Division Two table. It won't be easy though against a Cork side keen to bounce back from what was for them an embarrassing defeat at the hands of bottom of the table Cavan last weekend. It was a massive boost for the Breffni men and a notable scalp for them to have taken, but the Rebels will have looked on last weekend as two points lost.

This weekend they return to their home patch of Pairc Ui Rinn hoping that it will mark an upturn in their fortunes. It's been a turbulent few months for Cork, with player strikes and disagreements having dominated the early season and leading to a failure to fulfil their opening rounds of games, and a further victory would catapult them well up the table.

Cork are keen to draw a line under the disappointments, and a win over Monaghan would be just what the doctor ordered as they start to crank things up as they championship approaches. Cahalane has been a frustrated Cork supporter so far this season, but admits that the Rebels could have expected little from a league campaign which started so turbulently.

"Unfortunately when Cork rejoined the league they were always going to be on the back foot, with no pre-season challenge games or training, and then suddenly they were thrown in the deep end, so it was always going to be tough for them. Now it's just about trying to get them to gel together. They were fortunate in a way to have Roscommon in the first round, and that sort of eased them into it.

"I think from the word go, if they could hold onto their position in the division then they'd be doing very well, and I'd stand by that. If they'd beaten Cavan then they'd have been in a position that they could have been in the shake-up, but I think everyone should be happy at this stage if they hold onto their status."

He is quick to praise Monaghan for the great strides forward they have taken over the past few seasons, and believes that they can now very much be considered amongst the big hitters on the national stage. Having been part of a steely Cork rearguard, the former Rebel star can fully appreciate the attributes Monaghan have developed.

"I would say that Monaghan are the one county who have made most progress over the last two and a half years or so. They have made huge inroads to becoming key players in both league and championship, and only for Marc O Se's full-stretch block down last year, Cork would have been playing Monaghan in an All-Ireland final.

"I think their recent game against Dublin was a case in point of how far they've come. When the game had drifted from them midway through the second half, other teams would have thrown in the towel and said 'look, we gave it our all and we came up short.' They dug in there, and they pulled a point out of it. I would say being fair to Monaghan that three years ago they wouldn't have done that. They have a mental toughness about them, and their footballing skills are also good. They have good ball players all over the field, they play good direct football, and I think that's what is standing to them."

As for the championship, regardless how much it pains him to say it, Cahalane believes that Cork's fierce rivals Kerry are still very much the team to beat. Ulster, he says, is Monaghan's to lose, and although they will have some stern challenges ahead of them, Banty's boys are his tip for success in the province this year. Having ran Kerry so close last year in the latter stages of the All-Ireland, Cahalane would love to see Monaghan get the chance to redeem themselves later this summer against the might of the Kingdom.

"I think at this stage it's up to Monaghan how far they go. I think the Monaghan team are certainly good enough to win an Ulster title, and I think they have the best panel of players up north. The core of their boys seem to be aged 24 up to 28 or 29 so I think they're really hitting their peak. The other teams seem to have gone backwards a bit, the Tyrone's and Armagh's, and I think that Monaghan are coming very much to the fore.

"Kerry are still the team to beat, I don't think there's any doubt about that. They beat Cork in the Munster Under-21 championship a few weeks back for the first time in nine years, so they have the players coming through. They've come up with the Colm Coopers and the Bryan Sheehans, and they're continuing to do it. It used to be that if you beat Kerry in the Munster Championship then you'd win the All-Ireland, but now they get in through the back door. But I still think that anyone who beats Kerry at any stage of the championship has a very good chance of winning the All-Ireland.

"Dublin have been coming over the past few years, but I'm not too sure about that Dublin set-up and whether they can go the distance. It seems that you can only bring them so far. So I think it's still hard to look beyond Kerry, but as last year showed if a team is good enough and focused enough then they can make a big impression, and there's no reason why Monaghan can't be one of those."

****Sidebar****

All roads lead to Cork

Trains, planes, automobiles and every other imaginable mode of transport is set to be used by Monaghan supporters this weekend as they follow their side on their march through the National League. It's going to be a white and blue invasion of the Rebel county, with no stone left unturned by the followers of Seamus McEneaney's side who want to see their side in action and achieving what they hope will be another remarkable victory.

A big number of Monaghan supporters will fly to Cork on Friday and Saturday ahead of Saturday nights floodlit clash in Pairc Ui Rinn, with latecomers to the party being met with "no rooms" signs at hotels and boarding houses across the city. Such has been the demand for places on flights and on trains that a high proportion of football followers are having to face up to the five hour drive south, a 450-mile round trip.

The level of interest in the game has intensified even further this week following the sides convincing and stylish win over Meath at Scotstown last Sunday. By the time the final whistle was blown in their clash with the Royals, the chat on the terraces was already all about the Rebels and whether or not the jaunt to the banks of the Lee would be tackled.

The Monaghan team will fly down on Saturday to avoid the arduous bus journey they would otherwise have to undertake, and are due to fly back on Sunday, hopefully checking in another two league points as extra baggage as they board the return flight.