He might have been carrying a heavy burden, but young Paul Finlay held his nerve to help Monaghan achieve an historic victory. It was the 21-year-old's eight points from free kicks that made the difference as the Farney defeat Armagh by four points in Clones.
Finlay, however, had to live up to his father Kieran's reputation as a top performer for the Farney men in years gone by.
But he did not flinch as he played like a seasoned campaigner.
''It was a brilliant day, but we always knew that we could do it,'' said Finlay.
''Thankfully we did ourselves full justice on Sunday.
''It did take a lot of frees to see off Armagh, but that was only part of it. I was lucky in that they went over, but the half-back line worked like dogs throughout the game.
''I couldn't have scored those frees without those players putting in the effort. So it's not about any individual effort at all, it's about team effort.
''We are now in the competition to be beaten. I hope those people who criticised us will sit up and take notice.
''It's now a great feeling to have played in the first round and beaten the All-Ireland champions.
''Not many teams do that. It means a lot to Monaghan, and now I hope those people who had faith in me will be happy.''
MMIX
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