PREPARATIONS for this weekend’s inter-provincial series have whetted players’ appetite for a return of the Railway Cup, according to Kieran Donnelly.
The Fermanagh boss has been preparing the Ulster side for the games on Friday and Saturday, with the reintroduction of the interpros solely for the purpose of trialling proposed new rule enhancements brought forward by Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee.
However, Donnelly feels the Railway Cup – last played in 2016 – is something the current county player would love to see revisited, if a suitable space could be found in an already crammed calendar.
“There’s been a massive excitement from the players, the fact a Railway Cup’s been introduced.
“I do feel within our province especially, and I think also the same with the boys [other managers] that there’s a massive appetite to play provincial football.
“A bit like when you played university, you play with players from different counties, so there was a massive buy-in from all the players… I do think there’s a market for it.
“It’s a pity some of the players can’t get involved. You think of the Glen and Slaughtneil players, every province isn’t going to get all the players they would like but I do think there’s a market for it.
“These players think of their county season as so serious. They go back to their clubs, and whether it’s a junior or senior club, they’re still expected to lead within their own club.
“There’s an enjoyment to this, they can switch off and yet play with players from different counties. I would think there’s a window for it if it can be fitted in.”
As for the proposed new rules, Donnelly pinpointed one area of concern – how, if adapted, they would filter down to club football.
“That’s the big one… the fact that there’s so many rules, there is the wariness of whether a referee can cope with all of it.
“The referees will have a massive say in this because it’s on their head; I’d say they will have a massive say in terms of the number of rules that go through.
“A lot of the rules complement each other, but, we will see at the weekend how both the linesmen and the referees cope with it.”
