we can view the "Last Season’s Squad v This Year’s" topic on a diffenrent angle :

1st : impact of the losses

light : TJ, Grace, Gannon, JOC and Flav (were tired in the end), to a lesser extent Jarvis and Loxton
high : Mc Carthy, Vainikolo, to a lesser extent Reynecke (exept his throws)


2nd : impact of the newcomers

light : Rael, Henry (inexperienced)
medium : Heenan (promising but young), So'Oialo (Solid but not decisive and relevant), Carr (the opposite : will score, but not solid at all defensively), Ronaldson
High : Clarke, Muldowney


But in the previous posts, we tend to forget the main :

3rd : progress/decline in the squad we alredy had

regress : Park, Swift to a lesser extent Duffy and maybe Naoupu

stable : Nikora and POD (not very good stabilisations), Leader(s), Fafita, Healy and Coneelly (won't make a huge Pro breakthrough), Kearney, Faloon Marmion Bucley and Browne (the all four stable on good level), Henshaw (a year of stagnation after the boom)

progress : Tonetti and Griff (could only be better playing than injured ), Mc Sharry C.Finn and Layden (the trio about which I have the most hopes this year, reaching their perfect ages), Wilko and Ah You and Cooney (had'nt had a wonderful year, might do better with the new rules), JHW (still young could improve about discipline), Mc Keon(should confirm his international status!), TOH (coming back to his prefered wing)

With this kind of analyse, the assesment seems pretty clear : we should have hopes for a slightly better squad

Did you know Muldowney played n°6 against the Saints in Anglo-Welsh Cup? That's another option alongside with Browne, Mul, Fafita and Kearney!

Prop: I think we aren't bad here. I think JP Cooney will challenge a bit more this season. Need to see more from Brett Wilkinson. I don't expect anything from Rodney so any progression would be a bonus

Ironically prop is the one area that bothers me. The 4 guys we have Buckley, Loughney, White and Wilkinson and good but our scrum was being pushed around all last season. JP Cooney needs to start being played at LH were he could push Buckley and Wilkinson. Will be interested to see if Ah You is selected as much under Lam as he was under EE. I know McFarland has great time for him but will that sway Lam?

Can't agree that the new coaching set up is a backward step? Lam will bring new ideas and new freshness to the set up, he is bringing a new coach from NZ and keeping Nigel in the academy set up !

I would wait and see how we fare before I would make that judgement. Way to early to say that the new coaching set up is a minus.

Its hard to call if we are stronger or weaker really. A lot will depend on the management team and how they manage the transition both in terms of personnel and in terms of the style of game they want the team to play.

I think we should get a bit of a bounce this season, its been a case of same familiar faces for the last 10 seasons so I think the players might be receptive to an outside voice at this stage.

Our signings look good but we have lost some fine players also.

Purely in terms of the squad:
Hooker: Flavin and Reynecke while experienced and having certain strengths were both out of the reckoning for a long time last season. Flavin is a loss in terms of leadership but all 3 candidates will see this season as an ideal opportunity to nail down the jersey so hopefully the competition can drive them on.

Prop: I think we aren't bad here. I think JP Cooney will challenge a bit more this season. Need to see more from Brett Wilkinson. I don't expect anything from Rodney so any progression would be a bonus

2nd Row: Its an area I feel we've been underpowered and have lacked depth for a long time and I think we are finally addressing it. McCarthy is a big loss but Clarke is a huge signing and Muldowney looks like good business.

Back Row: I think we are ok here. Browne and McKeown are two players who will only improve imo. I'd be surprised if Heenan isn't a success.

Scrum Half: Not particularly happy here. Marmion will hopefully push on but neither replacement fills me with any hope.

Out Half: Backup here is a bit of an issue but has been for a long time. Looking further down the road it'd be my main area of concern

Backs: Bit short at centre particularly with McSharry and Tonetti out but apart from that I think we have the best set of backs we've had in a long time if we can knit them together.

Management: Down in one or two positions but overall some fresh voices with an element of continuity.

Most important of all I think there will be a fresh impetus in September. I think while Eric consolidated us after a few disastrous years, a fresh start was needed.

A player not mentioned at all so far and who had a big impact last season especially in the first half of the season is Andrew Browne, lest we forget he was out for the whole of the previous season.

But he was our rock when Mul was injured, and his form meant that he started at Blind side in 13 games (compared to Mul's 6) trough the season. He also shored up second row as well when Maccas was away and we had a few injuroes, and on last seasons form is a better player than Gannon.

I think we have a squad brim full of potential and I really like the cut of the job of the new signings, I can really see the thinking behind each one (and there is the hand of Eric behind more than one) but as has already been stated we are very light on experience in the key areas of Hooker and open-side and that could serious scupper our season if we get some injuries...

So'oilo could turn out to be a real ace in the hole, especially with his kicking prowess. I think he can take some of the pressure off Miah and Craig if Dan needs a break or is injured (although I think Ronaldson is probably a higher percentage kicker than Miah, but not sure if his game will hold up in the pro arena)...

I'd like to see us do really well this season and carry on the momentum from the post Bradley era, but if we struggle a little I won't be getting too downbeat. It's another year of big change for Connacht and Pat and the new guys need at least 6-8 months to start finding their feet once the competitive games are coming thick and fast...

wp_rathead wrote: I'm open to correction but I think James So'oilo can can play centre and wing aswell, seems like a very useful utility player- not to mention his is Samoa's designated place kicker.
Could well see him starting at 12 with both Tonetti and McSharry out injured

He played outside centre for Castres, inside centre and back 3 in the Pro D2, outhalf for Wellington... so don't think you'll be corrected.

I'm open to correction but I think James So'oilo can can play centre and wing aswell, seems like a very useful utility player- not to mention his is Samoa's designated place kicker.
Could well see him starting at 12 with both Tonetti and McSharry out injured

Good topic been thinking about similar stuff myself lately. I'd agree with salmson that you're being a little pessimistic IMF, although it can be good to temper expectations.

Regarding your ratings, I think if you were to give a .5 to every young player who has gained a year's experience and is hopefully better for it (Buckley, JHW, Faloon McKeon, Marmion, McSharry, Poolman, Henshaw) you'd end up with a much more positive balance. Plus there are a number of other players like qualter as you mentioned who haven't had a full season but hopefully can still step up this year.

Likewise although O'Connor will obviously be missed he wasn't exactly capable of 80 minutes week in week out any more. Faloon had a good to great season and hopefully that will mean the guys behind him realise they need to step up big time if they want to push for starts. I had hoped we could hang onto Flavin for another year though.

Everyone liked Fetu but he didn't score tries. Maybe he could have this year with a different system but he wasn't what we needed the last two years.

Big fan of McCarthy but this might be a blessing in disguise if he's away with the Irish camp more often and Clarke and Muldowney can bed in. It also takes the pressure off Swifty so if managed well we can get the best out of both him and the academy players alongside three experienced guys. Plus height gains in the lineout - not necessarily a game changer but should hopefully offer a benefit and might help the new hookers bed in? I know this is hard to quantify right now but can't be a bad thing.


Coaching wise I think we're more than even I know Lam's last season with Blues was iffy but there was also a massive injury crisis at the time. He has been emphasising skills in training and hopefully his wider experience than Elwood and hopefully a new or more developed system will get the best of the players.

Regarding Ronaldon, I was almost going to start a thread about him; if he turns out to be great I want it noted I was ahead of the bandwagon.
Although I don't follow the AIL I know he was the top scorer at the top club this year and I think he won the player of the year award for the tournament? I think we got the best possible option available from the AIL. Plus he's a big lad who could probably cover 12 which more than likely will be needed at the start of the season.

I wouldn't be so downbeat. There are several reasons to be hopeful....

The appointment of an outside coach will hopefully buck up the squad. Hopefully it'll mean the likes of Henshaw, Buckley, and McKeon avoid the worrying trend of local players having a good first full season and then falling away (TOH, even more so Griffin). I'd a big Elwood fan but this was one area he couldn't deliver on.

On the downsizing of the coaching ticket, you have a point, though interviews with Pat Lam suggest that the likes of Carolan are spending more time with the senior squad (academy and seniors are training together): "I’ve been so pleased with the quality of coaches here at Connacht - Dan (McFarland), Nigel (Carolan), Jimmy (Duffy), and Cory (Brown)". Not before time, given Carolan's record in recent seasons.

In the backs both Carr and So'oilao are both far superior to Fets in terms of delivering points (if not excitement), which has been an issue for us, obviously.

If the new signings are as successful as last year's (White, Harris-Wright, Faloon, Parks, Poolman) we'll have a much better team. With the exception of Fets and Macca, who's been replaced with a superior player, we haven't really lost any quality: the retirees, brilliant in the past though they were, were pretty much done.

Lastly, I've been watching the Chiefs on Sky since Clarke signed, and this guy is likely the greatest coup in Connacht's professional history. He'd walk into most international team on the planet, with the obvious exception of NZ (and possibly SA). From a leadership POV, his predecessors as Super Rugby winning captains include Horwill, Matfield and McCaw.

It's Connacht, so it could all go wrong, but I'm staying hopeful for now.

Last Season’s Squad v This Year’s – Superior, Inferior or Somewhere in Between?

Waiting in for a repair man this morning put down on a few thoughts on how we are looking squad wise compared to last term. Apologies it turned out a bit longer than I had originally intended.

On one hand it is hard to get away from the feeling we have taken some major steps forwards as a squad with some of our new acquisitions. Clarke as a former Super Rugby winning captain is arguably the highest profile signing we have ever made as a club. Muldowney looks like he can add some real bulk to our pack and provide some strength in depth not to mention the return of the prodigal winger and record try scorer. Even the most cynical of fans would struggle to argue we are not making progress but just going through the squad on a playing and coaching basis I can’t help get the feeling the progress is not as tangible as it first might seem.

Hooker:

Out – Flavin & Reynecke / In – Henry, Rael & Heffernan

Without labouring the point I’ve made in other posts and I hope not being unduly fair to the new boys I think it’s fairly obvious we can say we are not as strong in this position compared to last year.

Props:

No change

Wilko went missing for me last season, Stephen Archer owned him in the SG and he needs to find the form that had him pushing for Irish honours. Generally it will be interesting to see how the new scrum laws affect our players. Hopefully they will more than consolidate last season’s form but let’s say at prop there is no change between this season and last.

Lock:

Out – Gannon & Macca / In – Clarke, Muldowney & Qualter

Personally always liked Gannon as a squad option and as much as I will miss Macca if we can keep the new guys fit and with the added benefit of being able to manage Swift’s workload and MK’s continued development this is indisputably one area of the squad which has improved.

Flankers:

Out - Concrete, Grace & Anderson / In – Hennan & Conneely

Yes Hennan comes with massive potential which we should all be excited about though it’s not like Grace and Anderson were signed without promise. Wouldn’t imagine Conneely is looking beyond the eagles but hope he can progress this term and stake a claim for himself. Overall though without Concrete I’d say our options are not as good this year as they were last.

Nr 8:

As you were.

Half Backs:

Out – Moore & Jarvis / In – Ronaldson

Frank’s return see’s us equal in numbers in one sense at 9. I haven’t seen Ronaldson play so not placed to comment but again Jarvis had a fair bit of ability when he came but it’s hard to find form without being given a run in the team.

Centres:

As you were.

Wings:

Out – Loxton, McCrea & Fets / In – Carr

Fets loss for me equals if not outweighs Carr coming back.

Full / Utility Back:

In – So’oilao

If he can keep his hands to himself he will hopefully provide some much needed strength in depth across the board and will hopefully prove to be a good addition to the team.

Coaching Ticket:

Out – Forshaw & Millard – In (Arriving in September) Ellis

Pretty cut and dry here, Lam has one of the hardest jobs in professional rugby but it has been made more difficult in the lack of support staff being made available. Hard to say we have taken anything other than a backward step here.

So in conclusion taking a +1, -1 or 0 scoring system across each of the positions outlined above;

Hooker: -1
Props: 0
Lock : +1
Flankers: -1
Nr 8: 0
Halfbacks: 0
Centres: 0
Wings: 0
Full Backs: +1
Coaching: -1

So overall that gives you a score of -1 or if you just look at the playing squad 0 which dampens the feeling that we have had made as much progress in terms of squad development in comparison to where we were last year. I know other factors will play a part in how we progress next year, hopefully the younger lads coming in will be able to do a job and provide more depth but as where we stand today I think it is tough to say this year’s squad of players are 10+ points better than last season’s.

Total number of players released – 13

Total number of players brought in – 8 + 3 academy players