During his inter-county career, Benny Coulter was never shy about voicing his disdain for modern Gaelic football. Shortly after he played an All-Ireland final with Down in 2010, Coulter announced that he wouldn't pay a tenner to watch a Gaelic football match.
He was born in the wrong era. Had he been ten years older, he'd have linked up with Greg Blaney, Mickey Linden and James McCartan in the sexiest forward line ever to grace the Ulster championship.
However, his antipathy was not so strong that he couldn't stay away when the inter-county boss came calling.
Down manager Eamonn Burns has coaxed their most celebrated forward of the noughties out of retirement for the 2016 season.
Coulter, currently aged 33, quit the scene after the 2014 season and was outside the tent during Jim McCorry's short reign. He even did a spot of analysis on the Sunday Game.
Down supporters endured a forgettable 2015 season as they were pipped by Derry by a point in the Ulster championship and then beaten by Wexford in the first round of the qualifiers.
New manager Burns has sent for Coulter and the veteran has responded to the call. Burns told the Irish News;
I was speaking to Benny and he’s started a wee bit of prep work on his own, so hopefully we’ll see him before Christmas, all being well.
The Irish News naturally inquired whether this meant Coulter was a cert for the 2016 season, Burns chirpily replied 'Yep'.
However, there are also rumours that Down's outstanding wing forward Conor Laverty would be retiring from the inter-county scene. Burns couldn't confirm one way or the other but did say that like the rest of the Kilcoo players, Laverty was taking a break.
