By Cian O’Connell

Paul Finlay, the highly regarded former Monaghan footballer, smiles as the question is asked.

Has any county maximised its playing resources as good as Monaghan during the past couple of decades? “That is a fair enough comment,” Finlay, who made his Championship debut in 2003, instantly responds.

“There has certainly been a lot of good work done in Monaghan football, in the background structures wise - getting the utmost out of what we have, with the players available that are good enough to play for our county teams, no matter who the manager is or whatever the circumstances.

“We have been getting the best players available to Monaghan on that field. Certainly we have gone a long way to doing that. I think the biggest part is probably the structures that have been put in place about 20 years ago.”

Significant planning and plotting takes place in Monaghan. “It is certainly bearing fruit and it continues to do so as we can see from our minor team making it all the way to the All-Ireland final last Sunday,” Finlay adds.

“It is a great testament to all the work that is being done by the Monaghan County Board with all of the development squads, the guys they have being part of that.

“You just need to be consistent, Monaghan have made their way to Division One in that time and have stayed there. It isn't just doing it on one season or a couple of seasons, there is good work going on in the background trying to get that consistency. It has stood us well.”

Retaining players and keeping them involved and interested in represented Monaghan has been a significant factor according to the Ballybay Pearse Brothers stalwart.

“Back when I started in '03, we beat Armagh, the All-Ireland champions, in the first round of the Ulster Championship,” he recalls.

“Then we went to Casement to play Down in the semi-final and got beaten. You realise straightaway, yes we could perform and the team we had back then were capable of a performance, but recreating that performance, we were trying to get consistency - that wasn't there.

“It was something that had to be worked on in the years after. We had different managers like Banty, who came in, he did great work.

“Eamonn McEnaney didn't have as good a period involved, it just didn't go Eamonn's way in that period, but still some great players came into the scene around that time.

“I remember Drew Wylie making his debut under Eamonn McEnaney so a lot of good players came in. All the time in the back of our heads, the guys involved since '03 thinking we still had more to improve here.

“We still had more to do. Then Malachy O'Rourke and his management team enter the fray - we rise a level again. It is all of the time seeking that level of consistency.

“We were able to perform at that level, but we needed to make sure that we were backing it up. The experienced guys in today's panel, they have been doing the exact same thing - demanding those high standards off any new guys coming through.”

Vinny Corey’s impressive work as manager provides another source of encouragement for Finlay. “You just knew - having played with him for so long - you knew what was going to come - it was going to be a very well organised backroom team, a very well organised team, and a very disciplined team that would work towards doing their best for Monaghan,” Finlay says.

“Nobody can argue with where they are. He has done a fantastic job in his first season - he has retained Division One status and has found a way for Monaghan to be in an All-Ireland Semi-Final, which is absolutely huge.

“It is down to hard work, instilling a belief in the squad. He has a good and solid game plan and being disciplined towards that. A really well drilled team is what Monaghan look like - they are playing for the jersey, they are playing for their clubs and themselves.

“They are really tight, it is great work by Vinny that he has them playing this way.”

An All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final appearance against Dublin at Croke Park on Saturday beckons.