Monaghan secured passage to the Super 8s when defeating Laois by 0-19 to 1-11 at Navan.

The unpredictable winners were outstanding for half an hour but lost their way thereafter and stumbled over the line in the end. Goalkeeper Graham Brody was exceptional for the losers, frustrating the Farney attack time and time again with a string of top-drawer stops.

We saw the best and worst of the Monaghan men today as they roared into a nine-point lead but ended up hanging on grimly for a nervy victory.

It's job done, though, and they will take on Kildare at Croke Park next Sunday afternoon in their first outing of the new-look quarter-final series, with games against Kerry in Clones and Galway in Salthill to follow over the next two weekends.

Monaghan totally bossed the first half and retired for the break with a comfortable 0-14 to 1-4 advantage. They should have been further ahead but were denied by excellent saves in three one-on-ones with Brody, while Paul Kingston hit them with a sucker-punch goal at the other end just before the short whistle.

Fintan Kelly is always a good shout for the opening score but his effort was cancelled out by an Evan O'Carroll free before Conor McManus split the posts with a magnificent seventh-minute finish with an opponent hanging out of him.

After the midlanders temporarily lost John O'Loughlin to a head wound (he'd eventually have to be replaced), Shane Carey - a late addition to the starting XV - was happy enough to take his point with a possible goal chance on. Kelly probably should have goaled but was denied by inspired fly goalkeeper Brody; the Farney men kept motoring and the outstanding Karl O'Connell hammered over a superb point off the outside of this right boot.

McManus' free left four between them and Ryan McAnespie spurned yet another goal opportunity, shooting from a tight angle and allowing Brody to make another save, opposing No.1 Rory Beggan smashing over the resultant '45' to make it 0-6 to 0-1 after 15 minutes.

Midfielder Niall Kearns added to the beaten Ulster semi-finalists' tally before Ross Munnelly clipped over a Laois free. The Division One side continued to dominate and a Carey brace followed by another O'Connell beauty made it 0-10 to 0-2 after 21 minutes.

Having ghosted in behind the Monaghan defence, O'Carroll took his point - the losers' first from play - but the Farney men hit back instantly with a truly breathtaking McManus point from an angle that would have been impossible to a mere mortal.

Donie Kingston swung over a free from the right to keep Laois in touch but Beggan immediately picked out McAnespie with his kick-out and the Emyvale man worked the ball to Jack McCarron, who lofted it over the bar. Beggan drilled over a 50-metre free after a dangerous Brian Glynn pull across Monaghan captain Colin Walshe and the victors-elect seemed to be coasting to the winning line with half time approaching…

However, Laois grabbed a lifeline when Paul Kingston fired past Beggan to the Monaghan net on the stroke of 35 minutes. Brody executed his third magnificent save of the opening period when denying Carey at full stretch thereafter but McManus' injury-time free nonetheless assured Malachy O'Rourke's men of a double-scores interval advantage.

McManus held off a tackle to open the second-half scoring three minutes in and a Donie Kingston free on 46 minutes presented the losers with their first score since the restart, followed quickly by a Munnelly free as the Division Four winners closed within six. When O'Carroll slotted his second - Laois' second point from play and third in succession - the gap was back to five.

Substitute Paudie McKenna pointed for Monaghan after Brody denied McAnespie again. At the other end, Beggan dealt with a Donie Kingston shot before Conor McCarthy took his point as Monaghan yet again got through on goal - 0-17 to 1-7 with quarter of the game left to play.

The dangerous O'Carroll hit back but up stepped McAnespie to become the ninth Monaghan player to score and the sixth of their starting forwards to register from play. Brody was single-handedly keeping Laois in the game and he pulled off yet another save to deny McManus after Monaghan cut the Laois defence open for the umpteenth time.

Remarkably, a sixth outstanding Brody save thwarted O'Connell and a Donie Kingston point eight minutes from the end ensured that Laois were still very much in the game with just six points between the teams. Another Munnelly free split the posts 60 seconds later with Monaghan having completely drifted out of the game.

It was a four-point match with as many minutes to go when Colm Begley sent a shot over the bar and suddenly it looked like the O'Moore County could nick it. With Monaghan creaking under the pressure that they had brought upon themselves with their inexplicable face-out, hearts were in mouths as the board went up for six minutes of additional time…

Monaghan had gone 15 minutes without a score, That one came from McAnespie and he duly popped up with a super strike in the first minute of additional time to steady their nerves. The Farney County held on for the win that sees them through to the last eight.

Monaghan - R Beggan (0-2, 1f, 1'45); K Duffy, D Wylie, R Wylie; F Kelly (0-1), V Corey, C Walshe; N Kearns (0-1), D Hughes; R McAnespie (0-2), S Carey (0-3), K O'Connell (0-2); C McCarthy (0-1), J McCarron (0-1), C McManus (0-5, 2f). Subs: D Ward for C Walshe, D Mone for V Corey, P McKenna (0-1) for F Kelly, K Hughes for J McCarron, C Boyle for C Walshe, N McAdam for D Hughes, D Malone for S Carey.

Laois - G Brody; G Dillon, M Timmons, D O'Connor; T Collins, C Begley (0-1), D Strong; J O'Loughlin, K Lillis; A Farrell, P Kingston (1-0), B Glynn; R Munnelly (0-3f), D Kingston (0-3, 2f), E O'Carroll (0-4, 1f). Subs: B Carroll for A Farrell, F Crowley for J O'Loughlin, N Donoher for B Glynn, E Lowry for P Kingston, S Nerney for D Strong, G Walsh for R Munnelly.

Referee - D O'Mahoney.

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