Sean Cavanagh has slammed the Tyrone county board for refusing to postpone a club fixture which would have seen him miss the first International Rules Test.

Cavanagh's club Moy were due to meet neighbours Eglish in a relegation playoff on Saturday afternoon, only for the game to be called off due to a waterlogged pitch. If it had gone ahead, the former Ireland captain would have been forced to miss the game against Australia in Cavan a few hours later.

Eglish is the club of Cavanagh's late Tyrone team-mate Cormac McAnallen, after whom the International Rules trophy is named.

"I was very disappointed that the Tyrone county board put on a relegation fixture at four o'clock today. It was actually against Eglish, our biggest rivals," he is quoted in the Irish News.

"I've been fighting all week and Croke Park have been trying to fight all week to try and get the game moved. I think phone calls were put in and I was trying to get it across to the Tyrone county board that this competition means a lot to me personally just for the fact that it is Cormac's cup.

"I've been quite passionate about that down through the years. Even up to last night, I wasn't sure whether I was going to get to play. I thought I was maybe going to have to go down the road and play a club game today.

"It certainly means an awful lot to me to be able to go out there. Hopefully we can keep Cormac's cup here because he's still fresh in my memory." Tweet

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