Mark Mostyn wrote:

fatgav wrote: A Munster-supporting friend has told me Dave O'Callaghan will be switching to Connacht next season. No idea of where the source came from.

Really hope that's not true. Apparently Tony Ward is saying that Jack Conan has an offer from another Irish province, which by process of elimination must be us. if it's even true in the first place

It's Ulster I think for Conan. Would love to have him here but I doubt it's us.

That would be a great signing but probably the end of Muldoon.

fatgav wrote: A Munster-supporting friend has told me Dave O'Callaghan will be switching to Connacht next season. No idea of where the source came from.

Really hope that's not true. Apparently Tony Ward is saying that Jack Conan has an offer from another Irish province, which by process of elimination must be us. if it's even true in the first place

A Munster-supporting friend has told me Dave O'Callaghan will be switching to Connacht next season. No idea of where the source came from.

salmson wrote: Without getting into the merits/de-merits of your wishlist, you're talking about running with a squad of 53 senior professionals, you might want to scale that back.

At the moment (ignoring the two lads who sadly had to retire) we have 48 players on the books, including a loan signing and two lads who have been out injured for a year. I'd say round the 45 would be the size of squad we'd be looking at if we somehow qualify for the Champions Cup next year, closer to 40 if we don't.

I have 46 senior players there, the "/" represents an either/or choice I should have made that clear.

Without getting into the merits/de-merits of your wishlist, you're talking about running with a squad of 53 senior professionals, you might want to scale that back.

At the moment (ignoring the two lads who sadly had to retire) we have 48 players on the books, including a loan signing and two lads who have been out injured for a year. I'd say round the 45 would be the size of squad we'd be looking at if we somehow qualify for the Champions Cup next year, closer to 40 if we don't.

It's probably time to start thinking about next year's squad, so I did up a spreadsheet of our squad now and the squad I'd like to see next year. Not meant to be taken too seriously of course just looking to start a bit of discussion.

Players in blue are finishing academy contracts this summer, red are signings I'd like to see, and green are academy players who could be expected to contribute to the first team net season.

eezipc wrote:

sea_point wrote:
He's a far better player than McGrath, or any of the other provincial options.

Jaysus, the blazers in Ballsbridge would be choking on their slim lattes over that statement.

Fixed that for you. It was Seapoint who said it, not me

I wish Cooney all the best and hope to see him in a green shirt again soon, hopefully on the bench behind Marmion.

Whether it was an IRFU forced/encouraged move, I'm not sure. As has been said above, it does make sense for him to move and be first choice.

The IRFU has to do more to encourage people to move to Connacht. One of Ulsters long list of centres would come in handy considering we have been threadbare.

sea_point wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote:
He's a far better player than McGrath, or any of the other provincial options.

Jaysus, the blazers in Ballsbridge would be choking on their slim lattes over that statement.

Why does it have to be IRFU move? Look at it from Cooney's view, contract negotiation time, no coach for next year, One of three 9's, not always getting game time even when fit, clearly has ambitions for Ireland. Will def get first choice in Ulster.

Mark Mostyn wrote:

EvoGeo wrote: If that is indeed the case connachtcows then it changes everything. If it was an irfu instigated move which I think it looks like to me then I stick by my take on it.

We can't be forcing players to come to or stay at connacht but I also don't think the irfu should be weakening connacht of squad players as our squad is one of the smallest in the pro12.

Yeah but the size of our squad isn't relevant when it comes to Cooney moving, only our depth at scrum half, which is the best in Ireland atm. We are literally the only team with a spare near-international standard IQ player, we have to be the ones who take the hit. I really hope the IRFU will be proactive in sending us a loosehead in particular in return

Yes we have cover at 9 but every other province has cover in most positions (some have 5 or 6 deep cover in certain positions and a lot of internationals as resereves not just a quality squad player) not just one.
The only places we have proper cover for the first 15 are second row (kind of), back row (injuries killing us currently but in normal times we have decent cover), 9, a couple of decent back three replacements but fairly light if we get injuries there too, centre (really struggling apart from robb who really isn't ready to be starting week in week out imo).

EvoGeo wrote: If that is indeed the case connachtcows then it changes everything. If it was an irfu instigated move which I think it looks like to me then I stick by my take on it.

We can't be forcing players to come to or stay at connacht but I also don't think the irfu should be weakening connacht of squad players as our squad is one of the smallest in the pro12.

Yeah but the size of our squad isn't relevant when it comes to Cooney moving, only our depth at scrum half, which is the best in Ireland atm. We are literally the only team with a spare near-international standard IQ player, we have to be the ones who take the hit. I really hope the IRFU will be proactive in sending us a loosehead in particular in return

If that is indeed the case connachtcows then it changes everything. If it was an irfu instigated move which I think it looks like to me then I stick by my take on it.

We can't be forcing players to come to or stay at connacht but I also don't think the irfu should be weakening connacht of squad players as our squad is one of the smallest in the pro12.

EvoGeo wrote:

Decadence wrote:
Until we are completely self-sufficient in producing enough quality players to fill out our squad this is just a reality we have to face. You can't compare Cooney leaving Connacht to McCloskey staying at his home province.

I'm not comparing Cooney going to Ulster with Mccloskey staying with his home province. I'm comparing a player who is not first choice but an Ireland international being allowed to stay with his club when he would be first choice at another province to another player who is not an international and is not first choice with his province being moved to another province where he will be first choice.

Ps there is a comparison of an international who was first choice at his province being moved from his home province to another province and it happened only last year...

But (unfortunately) the IRFU can't FORCE any player to move to another province. And most players who play for their home province usually have immense loyalty to that team and are determined to play for them or become starters there. Robbie was an exception in that regard sadly. Plenty of other players that could have moved have chosen to stay.

Maybe Nucifora could be doing more to move players out of other provinces and into Connacht, but he can't put a gun to their head.

Dom Ryan was pushing for a move in the press last season but had signed a contract to June 2017. What do you expect the IRFU and Leinster to do, let him walk? That'd be some precedent: I remember a full year before Henshaw's move was announced some in the rugby press were calling for the last year of Henshaw's contract to be torn up so he could play Champions Cup rugby at Leinster or Munster.

There are different scenarios here too: Leavy and Conan are just broken into the Leinster team and are looking at old (Heaslip) and injury prone (SOB) men ahead of them. Why would they move?

As to Ruddock & Ryan, yeah they should have moved on already, but these are Leinster men who have come through the system. Maybe, like Muldoon when he could have moved to Ulster, one trophy at home would be sweeter than three elsewhere? And if we are to say anyone who isn't first XV should be looking elsewhere, I'm glad (our) SOB and McKeon and Blade don't think so.

I don't want players here who were told to hell or to Connacht by Lucifora. The likes of Kelleher & Masterson who fought to play for Connacht are the ones I want.

I was annoyed as anyone when we got shafted regarding Henshaw, but you can't make players play for us. We're very quick to revert to the béal bocht as supporters, and while that's understandable in the historical context I don't think that matches to the branch's ambitions.