ONE of those days when the heartbreak of the losers threatened to subside the joy of the winners. An afternoon when both teams clawed and clung to the cliffside rather than fall into the familiar abyss of defeat.

In the end Monaghan, beaten in the last two All-Ireland finals, survived to lift the silverware before a crowd of just over 13,000. Laois lost their fifth final of the decade. They can console themselves that, when they went, they went kicking and screaming.

This All-Ireland football final replay (women's) mightn't have had the same quality as the men's instalment a fortnight ago, but between the nervous errors and the frantic defending there was much to savour.

A fair result in the end, too. Monaghan had the better midfield and the more inventive attack.

The Ulster champions tore into the game from the start. Linda Gartland, a successful springer from the substitutes' bench in the first game, resumed precisely where she left off: scoring. But the quality of her fine opening point was still being absorbed when another hero of the drawn game suffered a dip in fortunes.

Theresa Swayne, so instrumental in the Laois goal two weeks back, misjudged her adventurous interception of a steepled ball and suddenly found herself stranded and in deep, deep trouble as Lorraine Connolly and Michelle Murphy wove together a couple of passes before Murphy rifled the ball to the roof of the Laois net with only three minutes gone.

So much of what Monaghan tried early on came good for them. The decision to switch Jenny Greenan to midfield paid quick dividends. Greenan played deep for most of the game, enjoying a free role as she swept in front of her half back line. Her astute passing and acute positional sense was the foundation of most of Monaghan's better moves.

Also working well was the shift of Brenda McEnespie into Greenan's old position of centre back. Laois centre forward Linda Brennan found McEnespie's physical presence just a little too overbearing for comfort. As a result, Sue Ramsbottom at full forward was isolated for long stretches while Monaghan made hay at the far end.

Ramsbottom gave a glimpse of her limitless potential on nine minutes when she clipped over a fine point, but Monaghan responded with characteristic aggression to score the next three points through Angela Larkin (two) and Dianne Dempsey.

Laois began to find their feet as the half wore on, but, more critically, they never really found their shooting range. Their tally of nine wides set against Monaghan's four gives a fair idea of their problems in front of the sticks. In their attempts to steady the ship, Mary Kirwan popped a goal attempt wide and Mary Casey squandered a kickable point. before Ramsbottom put an end to the dismal run with another point.

The lack of imagination in the Laois attack was further illustrated just a minute later when Linda Brennan soloed perhaps 20 metres in a path parallel to the goal without anyone showing for a pass. Eventually, despairing and about to be devoured by white shirts, she pumped what became a wonderful point over the bar to close the gap to four points.

Monaghan nicked two scores by way of quick response; Angela Larkin's free was supplemented by a strong run and score from Jenny Greenan.

Then Lao is appeared to get the break they had been hankering after Ramsbottom came deep to take a delivery and soloed 30 yards towards the Monaghan goal, beguiling defenders with a series of dummies and red herrings. Eventually she appeared to take the wrong option and ran into two defenders. Perhaps she was surprised to get up and find she had been awarded a penalty. Whatever. She failed to extract maximum reward and hoofed the ball over for a point.

Connie Conway added another Laois score before the break and the sides went in separated by four points.

Laois made some changes on the resumption. Linda Brennan dropped back to the centre of defence. Mary Keogh moved to full forward and the need for more involvement from Ramsbottom brought the army officer out to the centre forward position. Aileen Aherne was once again introduced as a substitute.

Much ado about nothing, it seemed, when Monaghan scored the first two points of the second half, and Angela Larkin's influence was growing all the while. Her energy at centre half forward was matched only by the deftness of her distribution and her intuitive awareness of where her full forward was.

If Laois were going to dig themselves out the burden was going to rest with Ramsbottom. She almost pulled it off, adding a point three minutes into the halt, and then embarking on a weaving solo run into the heart of the Monaghan defence before slipping her seventh goal of the championship into the bottom corner.

Ramsbottom's goal might have been the platform for a revival. Instead it proved to be the high point of the game for Laois. From that point to the finish the football was desperate and frenetic. Monaghan's desperation proved the more fierce.

In the Laois goal, Swayne twice found herself deflecting shots from Dianne Dempsey over the bar for points in the following 10 minutes.

Voreen Quigley arrived to provide some muscle to the Monaghan full forward line, with Dempsey foraging wide. Quigley won a penalty with 12 minutes left, which Larkin crashed off Swayne's right hand post. It was the first of a series of Monaghan assaults on the woodwork.

Anita O'Reilly next thumped a shot off the Laois crossbar. Margaret Kieran's followed up soon alter, rattling the bar again. As we crossed into injury time Quigley launched a point attempt which came back off the post. Underneath was Kierans, who blasted the ball home; the ferocity of the captain's goal underlined her team's insatiable hunger.

Ramsbottom added a point for Laois, but by then the Monaghan contingent were on the touchline howling for the final whistle.

It's been a long summer, and the Brendan Martin Cup has been a long time coming, but Monaghan deserved their trip up the Croke Park steps.