February 12, Parnell Park

The fallout from Omagh occupied much of the media for the week following the match. The Central Disciplinary Committee met the following Wednesday but made no decision. That meant that both Dublin and Tyrone were little affected as they faced their next matches; Dublin at home to Monaghan and Tyrone in Enniskillen against Fermanagh. Or so it might have seemed. However, the fact that both teams were beaten would indicate that the Omagh hangover had indeed kicked in.

While Tyrone's defeat to Fermanagh was a surprise it was nothing in comparison to the abject performance that Dublin put in against Monaghan. We had been patronising to Brendan in the pub before the game and I don't think even he had given his county men any hope of winning. A decent performance was the best to be expected, especially after Monaghan's defeat in Clontibret to Fermanagh the previous week.

We, on the other hand, ought to have more sense at this stage. It is sufficient for us not to be tempted to backing the Dubs at 1/5 but not sufficient to stop us building all sorts of expectations on the back of the Tyrone match. How the same Dublin team that beat Tyrone in Omagh, with the exception of Stephen Cluxton replacing Paul Copeland in goal, could surrender so tamely to Monaghan, themselves beaten at home by Fermanagh, would appear to be a mystery. Or at least it would if it were not for two factors: Firstly, a long and painful experience of the unpredictability of Dublin teams. And secondly, the sheer skill and determination of a young Monaghan side.

It is possible that Dublin were suffering from some sort of hangover from 'The Battle of Omagh' - as indeed Tyrone may also have been in the light of their defeat by Fermanagh - but that hardly explains what was a poor performance. Dublin players looked tired and tentative and were rarely first to the ball in any sector of the pitch. Particularly noteworthy was Monaghan's dominance around the centre of the field where Eoin Lennon was brilliant, winning a pile of ball and setting up many of his team's attacks.

Hugh McElroy had a good game, scoring five points from play and from placed balls. He was also unfortunate perhaps not to have scored a goal in the second half when a fisted effort was foiled by Cluxton. Thomas Freeman scored the game's only goal before half time and added two more points from play. Another Monaghan player to note was Donal Morgan in the left corner back position but in truth it was a good all round performance and eased their concerns over relegation.

It would be easy to put it all down to the after affects of Omagh. No doubt this did have some influence but it is impossible to quantify. Monaghan likewise were clearly motivated by Omagh to ensure that they would not be seen to go down easily to a Dublin team with notions about itself. Quite the opposite happened of course and it was Dublin who looked like the team with something to prove.

I had had enough half way through the half. I made my excuses to Brendan, who was suddenly transported back to the glory days of the late 1980s and might not have been surprised to see the great Nudie Hughes emerge from the dugout, and made tracks for Kavanaghs. As I wended my way along the sideline wall I got a close up view of Declan Lally as he attempted to tackle one of the Monaghan half backs. His expression told a tale.

Ultimately it will all be forgotten and most of the strange results of the early part of the League will be put down to the quirks of training and the time of the year. For Dublin, however, losing to Monaghan may yet have an importance that was not obvious at the time. Clearly the best way to have followed on from Omagh was with a comprehensive win.

Sometimes a team needs to build an aura about itself. An aura of invincibility - or at least being difficult to beat - or an aura of toughness. Such an image can be worth a lot as teams like Dublin and Kerry learnt in the past. Armagh have learned that lesson too. Even Dublin teams of the 1990s won matches they might have lost before others copped on to the fact that the Emperor might in fact be naked. For the past 15 years Dublin teams have carried an air of vulnerability. They have lost important games they appeared to be winning on too many occasions. It is something that this team needs to lose if they are going to win the All Ireland.