Well it now looks like Eoin Griffin has signed for London irish massive loss for us, Duffy Frank Murphy Brian Murphy Tonetti Parks will more than likely move on aswell!

handy cover for 10 & 12. Good kicker. Maybe better than what we currently have.

Didn't realize he was 32 :ohmy:

If we had an injury crisis it might have been possible, like Tuqiri at Leinster. But 2 of our 10s are injury free and another is just back. Couldn't see it happening at all.

Just seen on twitter there that Ollie Barkley has been released by grenoble with immediate effect. Looking for a club til end of season and then who knows. Just say in!

Shannon tweeted that evening that he was okay. He prob would be starting 8 at Connacht with mul and Heenan.

I would love to see Paddy Butler come here. Hope that he is alright after his bang at the weekend playing for Shannon. He would be great back row cover. Not sure if he really is up the pecking order for Munster and with Copeland there now, he would be a fantastic addition.

When has Nikora actually last played a game lads ?? He has been injured for forever it seems. He will really need to put his hand up in the next few months to get kept on. I like him as a player and with Lam at the helm and the fact he could be heading out the door at the end of the season it might be enough to make him really go for it. He is not costing us a huge wage and if he improved and with Carthy/Ronaldson there too we could be ok at 10. Dropping the wage parks is on for a year will help us financially. Lie somebody said move George into the 2nd row and put out the feelers for an Munster 8 or even Stander.

He's a 12 not a ten.

connachtexile wrote: Know the lad your on about and he is rated highly by Munster so I couldn't see him going. There's an Ulster lad whose in the U20 this year who is meant to be similar as well but I can't remember the name. With Olding and Marshall ahead of him he could be worth a punt.

sign an outhalf from Ulster..? :ohmy:

Know the lad your on about and he is rated highly by Munster so I couldn't see him going. There's an Ulster lad whose in the U20 this year who is meant to be similar as well but I can't remember the name. With Olding and Marshall ahead of him he could be worth a punt.

The problem with point 2 is that those players are bottom of the league ATM.

Schmidt may suggest it but that is all he can do. I'd like to see butler here. I think it would be a good move for him. Does pat lam though. A lot of his decisions to date indicate that he doesn't rate Irish players. If he did come it could free up George to move to the 2nd row in place of swifty. He has struggled at base of scrum but has looked good in 2nd row any time he played there. Out half, now that's a conundrum. Not many out there that are any good and those that are are in demand and expensive. IMO a durable 12 is just as important. There's a lad in Munster on a dev contract, cian bohane, he's as big as Downey and can shift aparantly. Might be worth a look.

clanman wrote: it's a bit disheartening that we've had zero transfer activity. next year is going to be equally as tough I'm afraid

I'm not that downhearted for 3 reasons:

(1) As a colleague likes to say, good decision-making comes from experience, but experience comes from bad decision-making. Our promising youngsters will be a year older and with some decent exposure this season to harden them physically and mentally.

(2) We've already retained a core of senior players for next year or further - Ah You, Browne, Buckley, Carr, Clarke, Cooney, Faloon, Harris-Wright, Healy, Heenan, Henry, Henshaw, Kearney, Loughney, Marmion, McKeon, McSharry, Muldoon, Muldowney, Naoupu, Poolman, Ronaldson, White and Wilkinson. Of the players you'd want to retain only Griffin and O'Halloran have not signed, and that's before you look at the likes of Carty, Heffernan and so on.

(3) With the likes of Schmidt in charge of the national team and an incoming performance director, we should finally see fringe players at the other provinces players being told it as it is e.g. "Paddy Butler there are two top class no. 8s ahead of you at Munster, for the love of God move".

Disheartening maybe but not surprising. A lot of uncertainty revolving around next season and not the least of it is money and that is what it's going to take to bring in better players than the ones Connacht already have at a handful of critical positions. Out half is probably a good example. I'm not sure the money will be there to replace Parks with a game changer who is that step or two above Ronaldson and Carty. Connacht may have to do with keeping the quality they have in the present squad, prudently advance academy players and maybe strike some SH gold ala Jake Heenan.

it's a bit disheartening that we've had zero transfer activity. next year is going to be equally as tough I'm afraid

You'd have to imagine that O'Hagen is a cert for next season. To be honest a season were he is just concentrating on playing in the AIL and isn't being dragged into the academy for sessions might be a good thing for him and us in the long term.

connachtexile wrote: McKinney - unlikely to be available (No good, have seen him play with Malone) - McKinney in the AIL is a disaster and he has got plenty of stick for not trying hard enough yet when he plays for Ulster its a different story. 50/50 depending on his attitude.


Bring Damien Browne back from France? - Suits the french game but would be lost in the Rabo also he is on a wedge of cash and quite frankly why? Unlike his brother he has never shown any loyalty/interest in playing for Connacht. We're trying to get rid of our oldies not sign new ones.

I see young Sean O'Hagan is back playing today in the AIL, he has been making a great impressions in the AIL unlike McKinney. Is he actually in the academy? What is his situation.?

Great to see young Eoghan Masterson there as well, think he is a player with a big future. I know he is in the Academy.