Although the flags will fly at half-mast in honour of Cormac McAnallen, the National Football League programme will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday. The backdrop to his tragic passing will make it difficult for teams across the country to prepare for their respective games.

"Absolutely," said Down manager Paddy O'Rourke yesterday. "I half thought that all games might be called off in order to give people time just to take stock and clear their heads. I know a lot of our boys were heading over to Eglish to pay respects to Cormac and his family this evening. And when we meet up, naturally he is going to be in our thoughts. So yeah, it will be hard to motivate ourselves for a game."

At Galway's training session on Tuesday night, the players were trying to come to terms with the passing of a player almost all had played with and against.

"Even though we are at a remove physically down here, of course it hits home," said manager John O'Mahony, who was travelling to Eglish last night. "Most of boys knew him to some degree. I met him at various functions and without being closely acquainted, you could see by his demeanour he was a young man who carried himself with great poise and brought purpose to everything he did. But at the same time, he was very unassuming."

The details of the Tyrone captain's last hours also struck a chord with the players. It was known he went for a session in the gym, ate an apple, travelled home and ate dinner. He passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

"Anyone involved in the merry-go-round of Gaelic football knows that routine well," said O'Mahony. "The gym, the fruit - it's a routine repeated across the country. It is just terrible a young man could be struck down like this. As a manager, when you bring a group of young athletes together, there is always the fear lurking something will happen to one of them. And because we all spend so much time in cars, an accident of that nature is a worry. But this is truly sad."

It was the concession of four goals to O'Rourke's young team in the Ulster final last year that hastened the conversion of McAnallen to full back. Although he was a towering midfielder, his presence completely altered the Tyrone defence and they coasted home in the replay. Both games were tough and highlighted the occasionally controversial rivalry that exists between Ulster teams. The shadow cast this week, however, and the subsequent emotion has emphasised the solidarity that exists between the players.

"I have said before we are fierce rivals on the field, there is no doubt about it," said O'Rourke. "But a lot of these lads played together at university and for Ulster and maybe at International Rules and they just know each other. There is a very strong bond there and there is an appreciation, often left unspoken, of what the other person is trying to achieve and of what the time and effort they put into that. Cormac exemplified all of that, you know, he was the true dedicated Gael."

The early intentions of Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, who has stressed the healing value of simply playing and remaining a team, has provided an indicator for the neighbouring counties.

"That is true," acknowledges O'Rourke. "I suppose it reminds us life will go on and that even though we mightn't feel like it right now, football will be played again. And it is as good a way as any of remembering Cormac McAnallen."