Coulter ‘100%’ certain Ulster teams will be as defensive as ever

Throw all the statistics you want at Benny Coulter — you won’t change his mind that teams will revert to type including Tyrone on Sunday.

This year’s league broke records for goals and points scored but the Down veteran is unconvinced about the likelihood of the black card and advantage rule convincing counties to play a more positive brand of football.

“For the league, I think a lot of managers try out new things but when it comes to Championship they always revert to what they are used to.

“Mattie Donnelly, Peter Harte and the two Cavanaghs are all forward players but I think they will bring in a McMahon and Conor Clarke because they are out-and-out defenders.

“Obviously, (Conor) Gormley came on against Cork so he’s back in. It’s hard to know what sort of team they will have back, will they have all the seasoned campaigners back?”

Coulter can’t see the Ulster championship being anything other than what it’s been as long as he has played in it — defensive and difficult.

“If anyone thinks different, they’re silly. I feel 100% it’s going to be like previous years. It’s going to be defensive.”

Injuries may have darkened Coulter’s mood these last few years but he admits he’s still not enjoying inter-county football as much as he used to. It’s the negativity that gets to him.

“There are still the same fouls but it’s not even that. Teams are still playing a defensive system and it’s just hard for forwards at times to break that down. They’re probably not fouling as much as what went on before but it’s not the fouling that has made the game the way it is, it’s just the defensive systems and the amount of men dropping back.”

It’s 11 years since Coulter featured on a Down side that brought the would-be All-Ireland champions Tyrone to an Ulster final replay.

They had their opportunity but he accepts if Tyrone weren’t going to break through then it was going to happen eventually.

“Maybe it’s down to us that they won so much,” he smiles. “It’s hard to know. We were very naive, we were a very young team, we didn’t know what to expect.

“I think maybe big Gregory McCartan was the only real experienced player involved, James (McCartan) and Mickey Linden were on the squad too, but they were in the subs.

“If we had a wee bit more experience on the pitch, we had a lot of experience off the pitch, probably that could have changed that result. I think that was the first time a lot of us boys played in an Ulster final.

“Big Gregory was the only man that started a final before and he got sent off then for nothing – he actually threw the ball at Brian McGuigan and got a straight red card. So that was a big factor too.”

Coulter praised Danny Hughes who he is convinced won’t return to Down colours. “I have never seen a man as committed as Danny Hughes. He probably could have done a job for us this year but he has been out of football for a couple of years.”