IRUPA Player of the Year

Clegg

This years nominees have been selected.

Stephen Ferris (Ulster)
Rob Kearney (Leinster)
Ronan O'Gara (Munster)

Young Player of the Year:

Ian Madigan (Leinster)
Craig Gilroy (Ulster)
Peter O'Mahony (Munster)

Discuss

damianmcr

Easy, Ferris;)

thomond2006

Did ROG threaten to do a strop or something if not nominated?

Edit: Good nominees for the young player, Madigan for me is the best but both POM and Gilroy have been class this season.

PhatPiggins

Wow 3 whole posts :rolleyes:

Ferris but not by much over Kearney

ktulu123

Ferris for me. Would also have Donnacha Ryan & Johnny Sexton in there

ormond lad

Young Player of the Year nominees: Peter O'Mahony, Craig Gilroy and Ian Madigan

MickySticks

Ferris and O'Mahony.

Fishooks12

Kearney and Mads for me


<waits for thread to turn into ROG bashing for being wrongfully nominated >

TomLamp

Ferris and Madigan

freyners

ferris by a nose

MyKeyG

Good nominees. Rob Kearney for me. Not sure about ROG being in there but glad there's no room for Sexton. Will be a great player but he's over hyped for the moment. Seen him get too many man of the match awards this year for simply doing his job with the boot.

Benny Cake

Ferris, the kneeless wonder...

ray jay

I wouldn't mind seeing Gilroy get the young player award if only to make up for all the attention the other two nominees already get. Tough to chose between Kearney and Ferris.

How do they pick the players for the shortlist anyway? Do they chose one from each of the three big provinces or is that just a coincidence?

danthefan

I'd vote for Ferris. Kearney is a worthy nominee. ROG being nominated is laughable.

Oh and young player I'd go with POM but any of them could win it.

MungBean

Ferris and Madigan I say. No idea why ROG is in the mix.

bleg

Ferris & POM

Teferi

Kearney has had an absolutely amazing season, delighted to see he is back to his amazing form but Ferris has been one of the worlds best players this year. An absolute monster of a season from him.

ROG shouldn't even be near that award.

You'd have to go with Madigan for Young Player. Fantastic season.

danthefan

Teferi wrote: »

Kearney has had an absolutely amazing season,.

He really has. He was written off by so many people while he was injured. He's been absolutely outstanding this season.

Fishooks12

Teferi wrote: »

Kearney has had an absolutely amazing season, delighted to see he is back to his amazing form but Ferris has been one of the worlds best players this year. An absolute monster of a season from him.

ROG shouldn't even be near that award.

You'd have to go with Madigan for Young Player. Fantastic season.

So has Kearney though infairness

both would make my world 15

bilston

Ferris and Gilroy...no Ulster bias at all there...honest;)

Actually both awards are very close, Ferris v Kearney is anyone's guess, just for the fact he has bounced back from a serious knee injury and to quote George Hook is the best rugby player to play on one leg since Long John Silver!

I really couldn't call the young player award, they all have merit. O'Mahony maybe, just because he's been capped, although you'd hope both Madigan and Gilroy will be capped pretty soon themselves.

[Jackass]

Ferris and Mad Dog, but it'll be given to O'Mahony per Kidnehype.

irishbucsfan

I'd have Ferris and O'Mahoney myself. Kearney a close second.

Madigan has been absolutely superb but O'Mahoney stood up for Munster when it was really needed. He is not nearly the finished article, but he has gone from the A team to the International team this season on the back of strong performances in the Heineken Cup. Madigan on the other hand has been fairly limited to what he can play. I'd have Gilroy third for sure, he's been great but not at the same level imo.

ROG being there is something I'll avoid in this thread.

Fishooks12

[Jackass] wrote: »

Ferris and Mad Dog, but it'll be given to O'Mahony per Kidnehype.

If he gets it kidneyhype won't be the reason

Madigan has been brilliant in the rabo for Leinster and when called upon in Europe but POM has been consistently excellent for Munster in Europe and performed well for Ireland when called upon too

shuffol

Kearney and Ferris is a coin toss for me. ROG's presence is baffling, I'd have Best in there as well although Healy and Bowe have had great seasons too.

POM for the young player, Madigans been great but almost exclusively in the ML, POM's emerged as a real leader for Munster and carried them in the opening rounds of the HEC. Slightly surprised by Gilroys presence, I'd say its just recognition for his amazing try in Thomond, other than that he's had a quiet season IMO.

ray jay

Fishooks12 wrote: »

Madigan has been brilliant in the rabo for Leinster and when called upon in Europe but POM has been consistently excellent for Munster in Europe and performed well for Ireland when called upon too

Good point about POM and the HC, but the other two can't be blamed if they're not called up to the national squad.

molloyjh

The Kearney/Ferris call is tight. Both have been excellent. I don't think we could really argue if either got it. Fez by a nose for me.

For the young player I think POM is the stand out. Madigan has been very good, but would still be a bit out of place in a HEC game. POM wouldn't be really.

How ROG is there is beyond me.

Morf

Ferris and Madigan.

kevohmsford

Rob kearney and Peter O'Mahony. Kearney has been awesome for most of the season.

Foxtrol

What are the odds on ROG pulling a Kanye West style speech interruption if he doesn't win?

ROG wrote:

"I will go down as the outhalf of this generation, of this decade..."

Almaviva

Not even a contest.Ferris and Madigan.

(ROG??? WTF???
Oh yeh, he's playing above international standard so I suppose he is a shoe-in for world player of the year.)

.ak

Fez and Mads for me.

The young nominees are tough to pick from.

Kearney has been great, but for work rate it has to be Fez. To come back in time (or maybe it was management mind games) for the Munster match says tonnes about his work ethos. Wild horses would be required to drag him away.

Sexton should've been in that list tho in fairness. When he plays, Leinster play a completely different brand of rugby all together... Very rarely does one player have an effect like that on the 14 men he plays with. Sometimes I think we over analyse his talent will ball in hand rather than his rugby brain, for me he's probably one of the best players to 'read' a game and an opposition line since BOD.

rrpc

.ak wrote: »

Sexton should've been in that list tho in fairness. When he plays, Leinster play a completely different brand of rugby all together... Very rarely does one player have an effect like that on the 14 men he plays with. Sometimes I think we over analyse his talent will ball in hand rather than his rugby brain, for me he's probably one of the best players to 'read' a game and an opposition line since BOD.

First time I've seen anyone articulate this about Sexton and it's so spot on. It always seemed to me that something 'clicked' with him in late 2008 and from that point on he was a catalyst in the team. Up until then, I thought he mightn't be up to it, but I remember seeing a game where he came on for Conters in the second half of a match in which we were struggling a bit. Everything just changed and the backs looked more dangerous, the forwards more effective, everything just singing along...

Just saying...

.ak

Maybe he'll be on the IRUPA Jedi of the Year shortlist...

durkadurka

First big game in aviva. Oct 2010. The moment sexton came on the pitch was when everything clicked into place for Leinster last year.
That was the start of the Schmidt era.

Anyway on topic. I can't see any logical evidence based reason for rog's nomination. But there you go.

Teferi

This is voted by the players right? Are they seeing something we are missing with ROG or is it politics or...?

jm08

Teferi wrote: »

This is voted by the players right? Are they seeing something we are missing with ROG or is it politics or...?

You couldn't be missing anything! That sure is some political movement to get ROG nominated by all his peers from the four different provinces

Teferi

Yeah relax there ROG, I'm asking everyone else why you got nominated.

jm08

Teferi wrote: »

Yeah relax there ROG, I'm asking everyone else why you got nominated.

Well, since most of them think he is well passed it, they won't be able to help you.

Personally think they did it as a publicity stunt for the Awards - get all the keyboard warriors up in arms about it

Teferi

Anyone who isn't sexually attracted to ROG have some input?

Clegg

I'm guessing ROG got the nomination for his match winning drop goals in the Heineken Cup. I don't think he has had a particularly good season apart from that.

Didn't start any 6 Nations games and hasn't put in any top level performances. Personally, I think Sexton has been been streets ahead of O'Gara this season.

tolosenc

Madigan has been a better OH than O'Gara. That is a laughable inclusion. Ferris/Kearney is a coin flip, both have been outstanding. Madigan for the young player award, because all he does is score tries.

its_phil

Try of the year between Gilroy vs Munster, O'Driscoll vs Cardiff and Ronan vs Scarlets.

Sorry if posted already.

Top award has to go to Ferris. But Kearney would easily get in my World XV, a probably less spectacular world cup compared to Ferris decides the vote from me.

I'd love to give Madigan the young player award as he's terribly exciting but I just think POM deserves it after 6 HC starts and people calling for him to be in the starting backrow for Ireland, as well as playing excellent versus Scotland.

If Madigan didn't have Jonny Sexton in front of him and got more starts in Europe I would have given it to him probably.

Hoping the unsung hero features one of McCarthy, Duffy or Loughney. Loughney preferably. Him switching over to tighthead swung Connachts season around.

jm08

Teferi wrote: »

Anyone who isn't sexually attracted to ROG have some input?

The 160 or so membership can vote for anyone bar a team-mate in their own province.

:eek:;)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0420/1224314967878.html

its_phil

jm08 wrote: »

:eek:;)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0420/1224314967878.html

It means the shortlist was drawn up by people at IRUPA and now it's decided by the players to vote for the three players on the shortlist.

The players didn't nominate him, IRUPA did.

EDIt: According to Independent, the nominees were put forward by players

rrpc

It seems there's an imperative in play to choose one each from the three provinces excluding Connacht.

Player: Ferris, Kearney, ROG - Ulster, Leinster, Munster

Young Player: Gilroy, Madigan, POM - Ulster, Leinster, Munster

Try: Gilroy, BOD, Ronan - Ulster, Leinster, Munster

A tad farcical to restrict it in that way.

vkid

rrpc wrote: »

It seems there's an imperative in play to choose one each from the three provinces excluding Connacht.

Player: Ferris, Kearney, ROG - Ulster, Leinster, Munster

Young Player: Gilroy, Madigan, POM - Ulster, Leinster, Munster

Try: Gilroy, BOD, Ronan - Ulster, Leinster, Munster

A tad farcical to restrict it in that way.

Who in Connacht would you select?

Ferris and POM for me.

mathepac

Just why is ROG in this company?

Kearney and O'Mahoney for me but not by much.

It's great to see Kearney back to his best - the old-fashioned fearless full-back fielding the high balls faultlessly, (holy cow, rugby alliteration) the Serge Blanco-ish counter attacks, the physique and power to knock opponents down and the speed to run away from the smaller guys. He's brilliant, with a great footballing head. I just hope he gets a decent spell injury free.

rrpc

vkid wrote: »

Who in Connacht would you select?

Ferris and POM for me.

I've not seen enough of their matches to be any way fair. From what I've seen, John Muldoon has been consistently good but there are probably others with their hands up. The only young player I've noticed is Kyle Tonetti.

Again all based on a limited viewing of their matches.

Teferi

jm08 wrote: »

:eek:;)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0420/1224314967878.html

I know it must be hard for you, supporting a mediocre team (and the 3rd best team in Ireland), but you really must try harder when trolling

freyners

its hard for connacht players to make that list since its based on international and provincal performances and sadly no connacht player has been an every present on the irish team since cronin left. I think leyden could have been in with a decent shout of a younger player nomination with his performances in the u 20 but his time will come (hopefully next season)

Duffy has been fantastic for connacht as always and players like loughney wilko and mccarthy has been instrumental in some fantastic performances this season but none of them are in the class of kearney or ferris at this time.

GerM

Loughney, Jennings and MOD nominated for unsung hero. Decent selection but I'd take Jennings out of there and bring in McLaughlin who has had a smashing season and gets almost no mention whatsoever in the media. Jennings gets far more mention in the press and in relation to the Irish team.

McLaughlin is the Irish Bouilhou!