last chance saloon

outwest · 30-10-2009 3:30pm #1

with the AI coming up. certain player have one more chance to put them selfs into contention.

leamey, has the most to prove, the way other backrows are playin the sub spot is anyones to have, best is playin well

croinin, cullen. need solid performances as they are in contention of ireland 22.

wallace has a chance to put his hand up for the AI if he puts in a good performance against mafi and jdv

the rest of the squad picks itself

WeeBushy · 30-10-2009 4:16pm

Leamy really needs to rediscover his game. There are so many back row players playing better than him at the moment.

I think Wallace is ahead of D'arcy at the moment, D'arcy has been looking quite flat this season, lost that edge and Wallace is playing quite well. He'd be my 1st choice 12 at the moment.

Goes without saying that O'Gara needs to pick it up, Sexton should be running him very close.

Scrum-half will be another fight. Nobody has really stood out so there's a real chance there.

danthefan · 30-10-2009 4:53pm

Cullen?? He's been in good form, not sure how it's last chance saloon. Last 2 games against POC and DOC he's been the best 2nd row on the pitch, and considering the other 2nd rows are youngsters I'd imagine if he wasn't going to be in the 22 he wouldn't be in the squad.

At SH it has to be Reddan and TOL, Stringer has been poor recently.

Cronin also only has John Fogarty to content with so he has a great chance, he'll definitely be capped by the end of November.

Wallace already has his hand firmly up regardless of the game tomorrow.

outwest · 30-10-2009 4:55pm

it will be interesting to see how tomas does against boss.

if o gara start against austraila it will be the worst decision ever made, worse the npicking duffy, sexton is the man who is in form. o gara could get man of the match tomoro and i would still want sexton to start ahead of him.

in my opinion leamy is lucky to be in the sqaud, he had one good game this year,

WeeBushy · 30-10-2009 5:16pm

I would love to see Cullen have a run in the team. He's been in superb form and I fear the POC/DOC paring is a little stale. Could do with some change imo.

razorblunt · 01-11-2009 7:48pm

WeeBushy wrote: »

I would love to see Cullen have a run in the team. He's been in superb form and I fear the POC/DOC paring is a little stale. Could do with some change imo.

I agree with the need for the change but I'd have Casey in there first.

Would love to see Cave get a run at center think he's been outstanding last season and a bit.

Watching Leicester yesterday and I have to say ROG would struggle to make the top 5 Irish O/H's at the moment (if it wasn't for Barry Everett's intercept pass

)

Amazotheamazing · 01-11-2009 8:28pm

Leamy was probably the best of all the Irish backrowers playing this weekend, will be interesting to see if he can impress Kidney and Smal enough to start for Ireland again.

Risteard · 01-11-2009 8:31pm

I don't think he'll be quite in the frame for starting just yet but if he keeps up good performaces like that and one of the incumbents lose form then he could slip in for the 6 Nations.

wixfjord · 01-11-2009 8:34pm

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Leamy was probably the best of all the Irish backrowers playing this weekend, will be interesting to see if he can impress Kidney and Smal enough to start for Ireland again.

Had a great game alright. I would still be of the opinion that he is more of a loose cannon and penalty machine than either Heaslip of Ferris, but if he continues this form he will be very much in the reckoning. Although it would be hard not on Chris Henry not to get a chance aswell.

Amazotheamazing · 01-11-2009 8:35pm

Risteard wrote: »

I don't think he'll be quite in the frame for starting just yet but if he keeps up good performaces like that and one of the incumbents lose form then he could slip in for the 6 Nations.

I'd go along with that but tbh I was just delighted to see Leamy back to something close to his best again.

Stev_o · 01-11-2009 8:36pm

Id still have the GS backrow plus Henry ahead of him at the moment though. Needs more gametime tbh.

Amazotheamazing · 01-11-2009 8:38pm

wixfjord wrote: »

Had a great game alright. I would still be of the opinion that he is more of a loose cannon and penalty machine than either Heaslip of Ferris, but if he continues this form he will be very much in the reckoning. Although it would be hard not on Chris Henry not to get a chance aswell.

All the best backrowers are loose cannons, imo. You need to be to do that to your body. Some days the ref will kill you for it, and some days you'll get away with it, unless you're Richie McCaw, in which case you'll always get away with it, unless it's a RWC. Them's the rules.

Risteard · 01-11-2009 8:48pm

The good thing is though, and I've said it before, is that apart from prop and out-half (although the situatuation has picked up from this time last year) there is genuine competition throughout the team in many positions.

We don't really have to settle for picking our best players out of form anymore as there will be more than likely somebody who is in form there to take their place. Backrow especially, where we have:

Ferris Leamy Sean O' Brien
Wallace Best Henry
Heaslip Falloon

Jennings would have been there but his ban has severly dented any interntional hopes for this season at least. By the time he gets back, SOB will have had a good run in the team and hopefully showing some good form and it'll be close to the 6 Nations.

Admittedly some are inexperienced at this level but you have to start somewhere.

danthefan · 01-11-2009 9:04pm

You would have to think Leamy is still quite a bit off starting considering who's ahead of him. He would have made the bench regardless of form I reckon.

Amazotheamazing · 01-11-2009 9:07pm

danthefan wrote: »

You would have to think Leamy is still quite a bit off starting considering who's ahead of him. He would have made the bench regardless of form I reckon.

How so? Ferris has no form whatsoever as he's coming back from injury and Leamy outplayed him yesterday. Heaslip isn't having a great season either. At 6 or 8, we have a lot of options but not all of them are playing well, course, neither was Leamy until yesterday.

Faloon, McLaughlin and Wallace have been the outstanding backrows so far this season.

Risteard · 01-11-2009 9:08pm

danthefan wrote: »

You would have to think Leamy is still quite a bit off starting considering who's ahead of him. He would have made the bench regardless of form I reckon.

He's not close to starting atm but if he puts up more performances like last night then he could be an option for the 6 Nations, but not in the 22 for the Autumn internationals IMO unless someone gets injured.

last chance saloon

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