Monaghan must tighten up defensively and summon the defiant energy of their 2013 heroics to shock "heavy favourites" Armagh in Sunday's Ulster Senior Football final, according to Monaghan legend and BBC pundit Conor McManus.

The Clones showpiece pits two teams desperate to end long droughts for provincial silverware, with Monaghan's last Anglo-Celt Cup coming in 2015. But Armagh, widely tipped to end their own 18-year wait after a stunning 28-point demolition of Down in the semi-final, enter as the team to beat.

McManus, who scored 0-3 in the 2013 final before captaining Monaghan to a repeat win over Donegal two years later, believes the underdogs must channel that same remarkable intensity. "It's going to take that sort of performance to win this Ulster final," he said. "Let's be realistic about it. Monaghan will have to be at their best, but that goes without saying. It's perfectly set up for Monaghan, going in as huge underdogs. Armagh scored 3-33 the last day out."

The key, McManus argues, is keeping the game tight deep into the second half. "The big thing for Monaghan is to bring this game down the stretch, the last 15 or 20 minutes. If they can do that, they'll be comfortable in that position with very little pressure on them. That's the challenge for Monaghan."

Having beaten Cavan 0-27 to 2-14 in the quarter-finals, Monaghan returned to the Ulster final for the first time since 2021 with a dramatic 1-30 to 3-23 victory over Derry after extra time. Jack McCarron and Rory Beggan stepped up to kick nerveless two-pointers at the end of normal and extra time respectively, but McManus admits Gabriel Bannigan's side cannot afford to keep conceding goal and scoring chances against an Armagh outfit that has racked up 100 points in three Ulster games this year.

"If we defend the way we've defended, against Derry and the second half against Cavan, we're in for a long day," added the three-time All-Star, who will be on co-commentary duty for the BBC on Sunday. For Monaghan fans, the hope is that history repeats itself—and that the Farney County can once again rise to the occasion when it matters most.