"There has been a lot of talk in the past few weeks maybe about this competition coming to an end," Clerkin said ahead of the weekend's floodlit clash at Croke Park.

"I don't know who is questioning that because from a players' point of view, we love it. It's the only opportunity we have to play our own game - a game that we love - with our own peers, to represent your province.

"The International Rules is not the game that we play every week, every year. This is the only outlet we have to do that so from a players' point of view we would hate to see it go."

Clerkin says that the camaraderie among this Ulster squad has been excellent in the past few weeks as county loyalties and last summer's inter-county antics have been put to one side.

"Ourselves in Monaghan, we had a good run in the Ulster championship and we came up against quite a few of the boys along the way and I was just thinking of a few things that would have went on, on the pitch and wondering ‘does he remember that or not?!'

"I suppose you just have to forget about that and people realise that it is all part and parcel of the game, what happens on the field stays on the field,” the chemical engineer said.

"We are playing together now and we all get on very well. We've been training for the last three weeks and had the semi-final against Connacht last weekend. A few of us went out the night after and we get on very well, people realise that it is just on the day and that nothing carries over."

And Clerkin is not particularly bothered about the Interprovincial championship adding to what is already a jam-packed schedule for the inter-county footballer.

"We are footballers and that's what we do. If we get the opportunity to play for our province, no matter what time of the year it is, it’s great. Playing under the floodlights at Croke Park with your province alongside the best players in the country, why wouldn't you want to do that – it just adds a whole different element to the playing side of things."

Clerkin is no small man by any means, standing at 6ft 1in, and he brings to Gaelic football great leadership and skill in abundance. However he cannot but be influenced by the interest and passion which Donegal native and Ulster manager Brian McEniff possesses for the Interprovincial championship.

“Brian would be a very proud Ulsterman and he has been involved with the set-up for the last 20 years or so, he is very keen. This year to bring the Railway Cup back up north especially after losing it the last two years and the tradition we have in the competition.

"He puts a lot into it and he gets us involved from three or four weeks before the semi-final so that we get some nights where we get to train together," he explained.

"His interest in the competition is huge and that rubs off on the players. The players from Ulster really want to be involved.”

The 25 year old is delighted to get the opportunity to play for his province.

"You love to get called up. It's a huge honour. There is no case of boys turning around and saying: 'no we don't want to play' for whatever reason. People that don't play are people who have commitments.

"It is unfortunate that there is not a great time of the year to slot it into the calendar. There are the club championships and that is just the reality of it. There is huge interest and that is coming from Brian's appetite for the competition," Clerkin added.

"Some nights with club commitments there mightn't be too many there at the Ulster training sessions but people still come and travel. We would train in Clogher in Tyrone and people might have two or three hours to drive but they always would. Brian is infectious in his interest in it and it rubs off on everybody else."