Coulter: I wouldn’t pay to go watch modern game

PUNDITS launching scathing attacks on the state of Gaelic football is nothing new but one of the modern game’s top exponents joined the chorus of disapproval yesterday.

Benny Coulter is widely lauded as one of the most exciting footballers in the country. A star since he featured on the Down All-Ireland minor-winning side of 1999, he has represented Ireland five times in the International Rules series.

Evidence of his abilities was on display again yesterday when he was named Opel/GPA footballer of the month for May but it is clear he is disillusioned with a game where negativity has gained the upper hand.

With blanket defences de rigeur – and sweepers par for the course in Ulster – players like Coulter are finding it much harder to parade their wares. The Mayobridge man said that the latest trend was a “pain” and admitted he wouldn’t dream of paying to watch a football match.

“No way, definitely not,” he said. “When I quit that will be it, I will watch it on TV. Games are so bad nowadays that I don’t know why you would pay in to go watch matches way down the country when that’s what you are getting.”

Coulter is 28 and, though he has over a decade of senior football under his belt, he is hardly a grizzled pensioner looking back on the ‘glory days’ through rose-tinted spectacles. He has witnessed the changes first-hand in recent years. During the league he shared a room and many a chat with Marty Clarke who has returned to the game from the AFL. Even the An Ríocht youngster has been taken aback by the ultra-conservative nature of the game they both love.

“You are not getting free flowing football, instead you face maybe an eight or nine-man defence. Maybe this year has been a bit better but it is not as enjoyable to play when it used to be when you were starting out in your career.”

Coulter too may not be far from calling it a day. “It’s not as enjoyable as it was before. When I was 18 or 19, playing for the club it was fantastic and I loved every minute of it. It was the same playing for the county at the start. But as the years went on, it hasn’t been as good as it used to be. I’ll see what way this season goes. After you’re beaten in the championship you have to see is it worth it.”

Down take great pride in their heritage as a ‘football’ county, one where there is also a rich sevens tradition which lends itself to open, fluid football, but even the Mourne men have had to bite the bullet in their quest for success.

New boss James McCartan has brought a pragmatism to the set-up. The sweeper has been introduced there too and, though Coulter doesn’t like it, he will live with it if it delivers a first Ulster title since 1994.

McCartan was central to the county’s last golden era, of course, as were other legends like Mickey Linden and Greg Blaney and Coulter threw a wistful glance back at those days yesterday and talked about how we would have loved to play for his county back then.

Instead, he is where he is but he gave his backing to the idea, mooted once or twice before, that the game be reduced to 13-a-side to swing the balance back in favour of attacking sides.

Such a radical proposal would find it next to impossible to negotiate through the GAA’s administrative minefield however although Coulter believes there is another, less drastic, solution.

“You might have three or four men around a man tackling so maybe only one or two should be allowed tackle. When a forward gets a ball he’s surrounded and more often than not he’s blown for over-carrying, but what is he supposed to do? Maybe they should look at changing those rules rather than stupid fist-pass rules.”