Peter Harte steps away from Tyrone, O'Rourke says door 'always open' for a return

Tyrone’s Peter Harte, left, has almost certainly played his last game for Tyrone footballers. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho

Peter Harte has almost certainly played his last game for Tyrone, with manager Malachy O’Rourke confirming he will not be available this season.

However, O’Rourke said the door will remain open for the former All-Star should he have a change of heart.

The 35-year-old has been a constant in Tyrone sides for more than a decade and a half, and achieved his ultimate dream by winning an All-Ireland title in 2001.

“Peter at this stage is probably not going to be able to commit,” said O’Rourke.

“Peter has given so much service to the county, he’s a brilliant role model for all the boys, he’ll be missed greatly.” 

The Red Hand boss added: “We’re never going to close the door on him, so if it was the case that he got a wee bit of breathing space later on in the year and was able to come back, the door will always be open for him.

“But at this stage, he’s not able to give the commitment, so we’ll have to move on, in the short term anyway, without him and see how things go.

“Both on the field and off the field, the way he conducts himself, the way he trains, the way he prepares for training, everything about him is just what you want in the panel.

“We have so many young lads coming through, who in many ways are learning their trade at this level, and the more fellas like Petey about that they can learn from, the better.

“Maybe there will be some chance that he will be back to us later on in the year, but at this stage, I’m not sure that’s going to be the way it turns out.

“Petey certainly owes nobody anything, he has had a tremendous career.”