7 out of 15, holy f***

Don't know where else to put this, but was good day for Connacht at the Pro12 Awards
Buckley , Tom, Finlay, Dillane, Marmion, Bundee and Healy in Team of Season
Muldoon wins Chairpersons Player of Season
Lam wins Coach of the Season
Bundee wins Players Player of Season
(makes his IRUPA snub all the more bizarre)

salmson wrote:

merchantdon wrote: Folks

Anyone know why McKeon got a jersey this evening? Thought he was contacted till next year?

I'm pretty sure he took it on behalf of Conor Finn, who wasn't on the original list of players leaving.

Thanks for clarification Salmson, didn't know that Finn is moving on.

merchantdon wrote: Folks

Anyone know why McKeon got a jersey this evening? Thought he was contacted till next year?

I'm pretty sure he took it on behalf of Conor Finn, who wasn't on the original list of players leaving.

merchantdon wrote: Folks

Anyone know why McKeon got a jersey this evening? Thought he was contacted till next year?

Glad you asked MD, was wondering the same thing. Was just looking up list of departing players to see if someone was missing and he took it on their behalf but doesn't seem to be that either.

Folks

Anyone know why McKeon got a jersey this evening? Thought he was contacted till next year?

Darragh wrote: Alex Corbisiero anyone?

Think he is a smashing player. Probably would be seen as hindering Buckley's development, more than being a needed signing?

He got a great all round game though and would fit the type of player we would want I would think.

I think he would help move Buckley on and strengthen us no end.

Would normally have said that his wages would be too high but given his sabbatical and what he's said in the press lately some English clubs might be turned off. Could be a one season option, but if he wants to get back into the England squad he will have to play in England. We definitely need a strong option to rotate with Buckley for Europe, hopefully Conan continues to develop. Little worrying that we've seen so little of Saba and a couple of other initially well rated academy prospects, our academy has outdone itself lately and that's probably not going to last forever but we'll definitely need 1-2 solid options per year from now on.

Re: number eight, think Mul may be first choice there next season while increasingly rotating with McKeon and Masterson.

Yeah I saw that alright and while I would assume Boschoff will be on big money I still think we will be significantly better off financially losing heavy hitters like George, Robbie, Rodney, Ali, Aj etc and I'm only talking wages not food bill savings!

Worth noting we've an extra 500k next year and the year after so might be some room to add to the squad but I agree one or two signings (or a few smaller ones) is about our lot.

Love it, they would March on IRFU headquarters if that happened! OK for Robbie going the other way though

Actually that is a good point re year 3 academy guys and who into year 1.

Be interesting to see what retentions are made and who gets the bullet.

Our academy has produced really well but there are a few int here who haven't made it near the senior set up.

Mostly forwards too.

salmson wrote: On a more upbeat note: anyone got any idea who's coming in to year one of the academy?

James Ryan...

...nah he isn't but just to freak out the Leinster lurkers

I'm assuming it'll be the two Sligo lads Gallagher and Kerins along with Peter Claffey?

With the guys leaving and the guys coming in how much do you think is left in the pot money wise for wages? Some decent earners are offski and the lads coming in apart from Boschoff would be on less money you would think?

I'd say a lot of the guys that have re-signed will be on more money ofc but I still reckon their is money there for one big signing yet. I'd say they are waiting until said player is finished his season before announcing it and my money is on a second rower

Bundee isn't Irish qualified for another 18 months.

We had 6 NIE/NIQ players last year, are losing 3 - George & AJ finishing up and Jake Irish qualified - and have already added one in Boshoff.

That leaves a maximum of two NIE/NIQ spots. The other provinces are allowed just five each, so Nucifora may decide to only allow us 1 more.

We have announced 9 senior squad departures and added 9 to the senior squad between signings and academy graduates, so we have already backfilled every departure. However last year's squad was only 40 strong as opposed to the 41 we had carried for several years previous.

We're not even the smallest squad: Munster ran with just 39 senior players this year including Sagario who joined after the world cup, but did bring in 2 injury jokers on short term contracts I think (Argentine winger, Aussie backrow?).

Leinster had a 47 man senior squad and Ulster 44, but I don't see us having the cash for those numbers (and if you look at some of the lads making up the numbers in those squads, that's probably not a bad thing).

Basically this is a long-winded way of saying don't get too carried away on the speculation. We may be done, we'll likely be adding one player. Two additions would be surprising, anything beyond that would probably be predicated on injury retirements or one of the lads like JP Cooney, Finn, O'Leary or Qualter getting an offer from abroad.

On a more upbeat note: anyone got any idea who's coming in to year one of the academy?

I'm not sure re NIE/NIQ but we should have a few spots coming free with bundee and heenan becoming Irish eligible. George and AJ are going too but he is being replaced worth NIE player so I make that two spaces for NIQ players and one space for a NIE player.

We are in interesting times and I think we would have done more to keep muldowney with what is coming unless we had a top class second row signing up our sleeves for next season.

#interestingtimes

Accidentally Onside wrote: NIQ out:
George
AJ
Heenan (becoming IQ)

NIQ in:
Boshoff

I make that one project and one full NIQ

Boshoff NIE
Aki, McCartney and Fox NIQ/Projects