THE Dr McKenna Cup final, called off at the weekend due to the death of Mickey Harte’s brother Paddy, could be played on a Friday night in March, it emerged last night.

The Ulster Council will meet later in the week to consider a new date for the decider between Tyrone and Derry, but it seems likely it will be rescheduled for the first weekend of next month.

Tyrone PRO Damian Harvey said that while the local GAA community is keen to see a return to action, the thoughts of everyone associated with the game in the county are primarily with manager Mickey Harte and his family.

His brother’s death, following a period of illness, is the third immediate family bereavement in recent months.

“The last few weeks have been hugely difficult for the Harte family. I suppose they knew this day was coming, Paddy has been bad for a while.”

The Railway Cup has survived – for the moment – after Saturday’s Central Council meeting and despite expectations that it was on the verge of abolition.

After a lengthy discussion during which a significant amount of support was expressed for the inter-provincial competitions, it was decided to defer any final decision.

At the same meeting the terms of last month’s agreement between the GAA and the GPA, under which the players’ body will receive funding of €8,750,000 over five years, were widely endorsed without the need to take a vote.