All Monaghan’s reshuffling gone to waste.
The Farney Men have added the like-new Jack McCarron to their ranks this year but, outside of Dessie Ward, they had no debutants in Clones on Saturday evening.
Monaghan do have a new look to them this year thanks to some repurposing and there was a lot of people excited to see Kieran Hughes operating at midfield.
The Ulster SFC preliminary round clash with Fermanagh brought Championship football back to our televisions and the football on show was surprisingly entertaining as the neighbours went toe-to-toe in an engaging first half.
Unfortunately we only got seven minutes of Hughes, as the Scotstown man got a black card for a pull down on Fermanagh’s Ryan Lyons.
Hughes gathered possession in the Fermanagh half and burst forward, with Lyons tracking him.
Hughes offloads to Vinny Corey as Lyons closes in.
The ball is long gone, but Lyons appears to continue to give Hughes a few pucks.
Lyons eventually floors Hughes, with Corey and the ball 10 yards away.
Hughes grabs hold of Lyons foot on the deck and the Fermanagh man falls too.
Monaghan break forward on the attack as the whistle blows.
Derek O’Mahoney calls Hughes over for a chat.
The Tipperary official shows the black card.
Hughes heads for the dressingroom, his day over. 
O’Mahoney was applying the letter of the law but the law is an ass.
Lyons was clearly the aggressor and floored Hughes first but, because Hughes’ transgression fell under the black card, he was shown the line.
Nonsense.
Said it before and I'll say it again, that black card rule is pony. Feel for Kieran Hughes @RTEgaa #MonvFer
— Lee Rice (@Lee_Rice_) May 20, 2017
Kieran Hughes only has himself to blame, but he was being fouled before it. No consistency #GAA
— Derrick Lynch (@DLynchSport) May 20, 2017
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