Nope signed a 2 year extension last year
McNamara surely coming in as ten cover so? Just doesn’t make sense.
I think Connacht needed to do this and I'm glad they have. Tiernan came out of a trough this year and turned in some good performances. There were times before that I would have sent him to Siberia, but he's been reliable and our defence has looked much better shaped when he's been around. Furthermore, we have failed to find a successor. this will give McNulty more time to develop, and we can try some other back three permutations as well. But I think TOH has earned it.
This one has the distinctive connacht taste of moneyball about it. And why not, maybe he turns out to be gold.
One does wonder sometimes if we keep too many fringe players on the books, and if the money would be better consolidated into, say, extending Marmion and Delahunt, two players we will definitely miss.
I have to say I'm loving the work of the social media team on the contract announcements.
McNamara could cover 10 and 15 no?
The article posted earlier in the thread had this line in it:
"The former Queensland Reds player, who worked with departing Connacht coach Andy Friend with the Australia Sevens team, can play at out-half and full-back."
Just Moore and we're done now
Good squad
Would like an experienced 9. We’re only one injury away from Blade going to the RWC
Any sense of how Matthew Devine is doing at AIL level?
Given how good he was at 20s, I kind of expected him to have made a step up by now.
I think physically he will take time to step up to senior rugby
Guess Bundee isnt going there so haha
I keep half an eye on the AIL team sheets, I'm not sure he's played much tbh.
This was the downside to having two international 9s. They shared almost all available gametime, and what few development minutes were going have been given to Colm Reilly. With no A games, there hasn't been anywhere for Devine to step up to. Playing 5-10 AIL 2B games seems like a complete waste of a season for a top tier prospect imo.
There's still business to be done but the squad is looking quite lopsided right now in my opinion. 16 outside backs (if Bundee stays), three hookers, two scrumhalves, one outhalf.
No more ouhalf Carty + Hawkshaw Forde/McNamara/Daly covers
I wouldn't spent money on SH either we can't complain of no gametime for Reilly and Devine and not give it to them now. Only a RWC joker if Blade goes.
Donneelan or D.Moore for 2nd/3rd hooker and we're good to go
Don't even need a RWC joker. The season doesn't start until the World cup reaches the QF stage
Ouch that's harsh on Ireland hopes :P
Is that Dylan Donnellan you mean from Clontarf at hooker?
Yes Galwayman, played pro rugby in France and England too
Didn't actually realise that. I've seen him play a lot, he's a quality player.
4 choices with my picking order in each positions (all bar huge prospect Gavin over 22 y.o in the end of 2023)
Dooley/Buckley/Duggan/Development contract
Bealham/Aungier/Illo/McCoy
Tierney-Martin/Heffernan/Moore(or other)/De Buitléar
Thornbury/Joyce/Dowling/Murphy
N.Murray/D.Murray/Dowling/O'Brien
Prendergast/Boyle/Hurley-Langton/Murphy-O'Brien
Jansen/Boyle/Butler/Prendergast
Hurley-Langton/Oliver/McCormack/Butler
Blade/Reilly/Devine/W.Reilly(or other development contract)
Carty/Hawkshaw/West/Forde-McNamara
Forde/Aki/Hawkshaw/Daly
Farrell/Ralston/Bolton/Gavin
Porch/Cordero/Jennings/O'Connor
Hansen/Kilgallen/Smith/McNulty
Cordero/TOH/Mullins/McNamara
Sean O'Brien has been purely a back row player with Leinster, don't think he belongs in a second row depth chart. I'm struck again by doubt at thew wisdom of the Joyce signing. We have plenty of strength at lock, and risk underdeploying players like Dowling and Murphy who are both proven operators in my eyes. they can do some minutes at 6, but Cian is going to hoover up most of those. Just seems like a weird place to invest money in a senior player.
Plenty?
I was forced to list O'Brien as 2nd row back-up as we have only 6 locks! (including converted Murphy and very young D.Murray)
Joyce was needed and the perfect complementary profile of our all light options bar Thornbury.
After that said he may succeed or not that much,
but very wise pick IMO. Though he won't be our best signing I predict, nor will even Cordero. I'm enthousiastic about Jansen!
With such a crucial game this weekend it will be so interesting to see the centre partnership.
I assume this is your Bundee complex? That said it will be an interesting call. And the Hawkshaw/ Carty call will also be interesting. You can't blame Hawkshaw for the Treviso game. That was simply a complete folding of the pack where the whole team was on the back foot. The news that Finlay and Denis return makes the question of out half selection another conundrum.
What is the academy likely to look like next season?
NO centres please. We have tons of!
Gavin has to be an exception
new props in it mainly
Gavin is already in the academy. You will almost certainly get your wish re props, I'd imagine Fiachna Barrett is a cert, and I saw on Leinster fans that we have made an offer to George Hadden.
After that it's hard to know, but I imagine we will pick up some u20s/NTS level 1 (https://www.irishrugby.ie/2022/10/17/irfu-announces-national-talent-squad-inductees-for-2022-23-season/) from other provinces. Also we may take any high potential homegrown prospects in after their u18/19 season, if they have left school.
Brian Walsh, U18 from us, is looking up and down even Murray brothers, as a 6'7 monster
Commentator on the U18 Schools game against Wales last night was repeatedly saying he was 6ft 9in (and the Irish Rugby match report has him at that size too). He was impressive - he's big and rangy in the Tom Ahern mould rather than a bruiser, but he looked athletic and was stealing a lot of lineout ball.
I think he was the solitary Connacht player on the squad though.
If Hadden does sign for Connacht, I think the only starter from the U20 Grand Slam team who doesn't look like he's progressing into an Academy is James Nicholson (St Michael's & Leinster winger). It's obviously not an area of need for Connacht, and I don't know if he has the athleticism for the next level.
Of the wider squad - there are some other Leinster props who don't seem to be in the system like George Morris & Ronan Foxe, then there is the Leinster half backs who benched in some or all of the games, Oscar Cawley (Naas, scrum half) and Matthew Lynch (Terenure, out half).
Generally there are very few Connacht players in the u18 schools side, apart from in in 2019, as we had a bit of a golden generation born in 2001. Not sure if that's due to the fact that we don't field a schools side in the interpros, or if Connacht players tend to be behind their provincial rivals in terms of development at that age.
If we bring in Barrett and Hadden, following Oisin Michel from last year, I can't see us reaching for more props. Probably no need for Lynch with Harry West already in. Cawley could be an option, especially if we are planning to promote one of Reilly/Devine to fill the gap left by Marmion in the senior squad. Injuries tend to pile up in the JRWC, so hopefully more players get a chance to earn a pro deal. Murphy's selection policy and reluctance to use the bench has meant that we haven't seen much of anyone outside the core group.
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