Harte: replace Rules Series with interpros

MICKEY HARTE believes the GAA could resurrect the inter-provincial series this year by playing the competition on the dates left vacant by the postponed International Rules Series.

The Tyrone manager has been a consistent opponent of the hybrid game and believes the association would be far better served pouring money and effort into what was a thriving competition in Ireland.

“It is a glorious opportunity to rejuvenate the Interprovincials. Martin Donnelly has given great support to it for the last few years but it has been pushed from pillar to post, from one end of the year to the other. Here is a glorious opportunity, at a time that has been set aside for something else, for it to be pushed ahead again. If we use our imaginations and a bit of promotion we can kickstart the Railway Cup again.

“Some people lose sight of the thing, saying if we can’t make it a 50,000 crowd puller right away it isn’t going to work. Nothing works that way. The Australian Rules effort didn’t begin with huge crowds. There were small enough crowds at the beginning. It was well marketed, sold on various outlooks from ‘Fight Nights’ to other things so there is nothing that couldn’t rekindle the Railway Cup with the proper promotion and the proper will.”