In Monaghan, it’s been a year of chasing with their tongues hanging out. Of far too often feeling like they’re a day late and a dollar short. Ten points down against Derry, seven down against Armagh, 12 behind against Mayo. Finding a way back each time to popular acclaim. All the while wishing they stopped making it all so hard on themselves.It’s given them one of the most eye-catching seasons of any team in the championship. Huge momentum swings and last-minute equalisers, thrilling hooter-beaters and a couple of extra-times. Ultimately though, back-to-back defeats in Clones have left them staring down the barrel against Roscommon this weekend. The drama is enjoyable for everyone else. For them, it’s just very, very annoying.“Everyone’s clapping you on the back,” says Rory Beggan. “But you’re sitting there in meeting rooms going, ‘Why? Why is this happening? Why are we only suddenly starting playing the football of our lives in the game whenever we’re 10 or 11 down?’“It’s a question we still probably haven’t put our finger on but hopefully there’s an answer for it this weekend. You’re into the part of the championship now where you can just not afford to do it. Teams are a wee bit sharper now, they’ve got more championship games under their belt and it’s do or die. No team is going to allow you back in with that sort of deficit.“Especially this weekend. You lose, you’re gone. That’s it. You’re not meeting up till November. So you don’t want to have to be in that position. We’re well used to it if it does happen. But for us, we just want to make sure that when you’re in the second half, that it’s close or you’re ahead. That’s realistically what the aim is.”If the season does end this weekend, deliberations over the identity of Monaghan’s player of the season won’t take long. Beggan is their leading scorer so far, with 0-15 to his name in four games (five two-point frees and five 45s). His interventions coming out the field have been crucial to their three stand-out goals – one that he put on a plate for Micheál Bannigan against Derry and the two he set in motion the last day against Mayo.Drama at the end of Monaghan v Derry unlike anything you'll ever see, Rory Beggan seemingly the only man in the Athletic Grounds who knew the rules to restart the game, & Jack McCarron with the two-pointer of a lifetime to equalise with the last kick 🤯 pic.twitter.com/uBFnyiB3Jl— Ronan Mullen (@RonanReigns) May 2, 2026