Tyrone manager Mickey Harte was surrounded by familiar faces as he prepared for the annual Allstars exhibition match in San Francisco overnight.

Seven of the players who helped to bring the Red Hands to All Ireland glory were in the 2008 Allstars line-up that confronted their 2007 counterparts, managed by ex-Kerry boss Pat O’Shea, at the impressive new Pairc na nGael complex.

If skipper Brian McGuigan was an absentee because he is currently recovering from groin surgery, then players like Enda McGinley, Sean Cavanagh, Ryan McMenamin, Justin McMahon, Tommy McGuigan and others were helping to keep the Tyrone flag flying.

They have been joined by Derry ace Paddy Bradley who has linked up with the Allstars party having been travelling in Australia since helping Ireland to win the International Rules series there last month.

The Tyrone contingent were merging with some of their Kerry rivals in Harte’s Allstars team for a match which the All Ireland winning boss deems as “a very useful exercise.”

Indeed, while the Allstars awards may be perceived to have been diluted somewhat now that global travel is the prerogative of top-flight GAA players, nonetheless the propagation of gaelic football in countries other than Ireland has been articulated on more than one occasion recently by the straight-talking Harte.

“I honestly believe we would be much better off pouring resources into providing top coaches for those countries in which we are trying to further establish gaelic football than by retaining the International Rules link with Australia. I believe we should be trying to nurture our own game,” said Harte.

O’Shea, who guided Kerry to All Ireland glory last year but was outgunned by Harte’s troops in this year’s decider after which he stepped down to be succeeded by former incumbent Jack O’Connor, has taken advantage of the San Francisco safari to suggest that the GAA should improve its structures to facilitate the relationship between players and the media.

“I think that the GAA should provide courses or workshops for players to help them in dealing with the media,” stated O’Shea.