 Sean Cavanagh was named Gaelic Footballer of the Year on Friday |
Ireland's International Rules captain Sean Cavanagh has strongly rejected Mickey Harte's claim that the hybrid code is little more than a junket. Cavanagh's Tyrone boss has repeated his disdain for the game in the run-up to Friday's opening Test in Perth. But while Cavanagh has huge respect for Harte, their views on International Rules are poles apart. "As much as Mickey Harte doesn't love this competition, I love it as do all the guys," Cavanagh told BBC Sport. "Mickey said in the media that we were just going for a holiday and going for the trip. "But if you were watching four or five minutes of the training sessions with Mickey McGurn, you would see that they are something special. "Mickey McGurn is a top-class trainer with his rugby background and all our guys are really going at it hammer and tongs. "You really get a great sense of pride when you pull on those Ireland tops.  |  If the violence accrues this year like it was in 2005 and 2006, the series is finished |
"Everyone (in the squad) from all corners of Ireland is embracing it. "Really the guys are so close together and we are like a club or county at the minute. "The craic and the jokes that we can have with one another is very special." Continuing his passionate defence of the much-maligned series, Cavanagh added:"I'd say deep down, Mickey Harte might be proud to see four Tyrone boys pull on the Irish jersey". Speaking ahead of Friday's Test opener at the Subiaco Oval, Cavanagh acknowledged that a repeat of the violence which marred the 2006 series in Ireland could be the death-knell for the compromise code. "Croke Park in 2006 wasn't sport. It was violence," acknowledged the Tyrone man. "The two teams are under no illusions. If the violence accrues this year like it was in 2005 and 2006, the series is finished."
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