All-Ireland SFC: Bannigan rues lack of chances after All-Ireland exit

All-Ireland SFC: Bannigan rues lack of chances after All-Ireland exit reports that Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan said his side’s inability to capitalize on an extra player made the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat by Louth especially painful. The match turned early when Louth midfielder Sean Callaghan was sent off after seven minutes, reducing Monaghan’s opponent to 14 men. Despite scoring one goal in each half, Monaghan could not convert the advantage and lost 0-27 to 2-18, sending Louth into the semi-finals for the first time since 1957. Bannigan said Monaghan failed to find a period where they had full control, describing a shift to casual or timid play after the red card, along with insufficient energy, ball possession, and scoring runs. He also noted they were missing injured goalkeeper Rory Beggan, forcing Under-20 captain Jamie Mooney to make his senior inter-county debut at Croke Park. Bannigan praised Mooney’s training and distribution but said Beggan’s test results ruled out his selection by Friday evening.