Harte: Rules promote negativity

MICKEY HARTE has ‘grave reservations’ about football’s new rule changes, insisting they will encourage defensive play.

The Tyrone manager believes the rules should only be experimented with in the pre-season competitions — not the Allianz League — and is unhappy managers were not consulted in advance.

‘I don’t see them affecting the game positively, the way the people bringing them in think they will do,’ he said.

‘There’s a potential for them to clog things up even more and lend itself to more defensive football. I don’t see them making things any better. I’m okay with

trialling them in the subsidiary competitions, but I think there should be a very detailed review of them after that. ‘We have to look very seriously to consider which of them, if any, will add value to our game in the National League for a start.’ At last night’s McKenna Cup draw in Belfast, this year’s losing All-Ireland final boss delivered his verdict on the proposals, saying: ‘There are too many rule changes’. ‘For any rule to be seen to be effective, you’d want to minimise the number of them for a start and have a really indepth review of them after a trial,’ added Harte (right). ‘And if they’re going to be in the League and not Championship, it makes no sense to me whatsoever to prepare and play in seven League games which will have no bearing on how you play the game in the Championship. ‘That makes no sense and I don’t think the sponsors would be too enamoured either.’ Meanwhile, Tyrone have sought, and received, permission from Croke Park to play their opening McKenna Cup game on December 16. The Red Hands will be on a team holiday to Thailand when the first round proper begins on December 30.

McKENNA CUP DRAW: Section A: Donegal, Cavan, Down, Queen’s University, Belfast. Section B: Antrim, Monaghan, Armagh, St Mary’s College, Belfast. Section C: Derry, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Ulster University. Semi-finals: Winners A v Winners B; Winners C v best runner-up.