Gabriel Bannigan’s side quickly imposed themselves, with their dominance around kick-outs and turnovers proving decisive against a Cavan team that struggled to establish rhythm early on.
Monaghan’s superiority in that area laid the platform for a spread of scorers, with Ward and Beggan influential from distance, while Mooney consistently found space inside.
The hosts struck three two-pointers in the opening period alone and maintained a high conversion rate, in contrast to Cavan, who relied heavily on Paddy Lynch’s placed balls despite a number of missed frees at key stages.
The Farney men were relentless from the throw-in, with Mooney opening inside a minute before Aaron Carey and Ward extended the lead. Monaghan repeatedly disrupted Cavan’s restarts with a well-drilled zonal press, turning over possession high up the pitch and converting efficiently.
Ward’s early two-pointer underlined that control, and although Cameron Dowd struck the crossbar during a goal chance, Monaghan continued to build a commanding lead as David Garland and Beggan added further scores.
Cavan struggled to gain any foothold in the opening quarter, registering just one score in the first 13 minutes, and although Lynch and Oisin Brady helped reduce the deficit briefly, Monaghan’s ability to win primary possession and dictate tempo remained evident.
Beggan’s two-point free and a Karl Gallagher effort stretched the margin further, and despite late scores from the Breffni men, Monaghan went in at the break with a deserved seven-point advantage.
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