@RonanL I would say Fetu'us defense is better than Carr's and there is way too much made of his alleged inability to field a high ball (he was fine again against Dragons), but those try statistics are startling alright. Getting off-topic a bit here, better leave it lest we feel the wrath of Seapoint!

RonanL wrote:

menacethedenis wrote:

RonanL wrote:

menacethedenis wrote:

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

I'd be happy to take Fionn back but he's no Fetu'u Vainikolo

Playing devils advocate here a little because I do like Fets, but didn't Fionn score a LOT more tries than we've gotten from Fets?

That's probably true but Fet's all-round game is far, far superior and he just offers more, particularly from broken play, in my opinion

As I said, I like Fets. When he gets the ball there is an excitement in the crowd because he's likely to do anything. Having said that, I think that ever since he scored the wonder try against Scotland, people on here are looking at him through rose tinted glasses. For me, he still has a lot of deficiencies e.g. defence (something he shares with Fionn), and his inability to field a high ball. I googled the stats out of interest, and according to the rabo site, Fionn had 22 tries in 52 appearances for us, while Fets has 4 in 20. I think that’s only league games, but it’s hard to argue with those stats. Eric was fairly quick to remark on Fetu’s technique when it came to finishing the chance against Munster over Christmas too – Fionn would have finished that. By the way, I’m not Fionn’s agent or anything – he’s far from the complete player either. I just think people are very quick to focus on the positives of players they like, and the negatives of players they don’t.

Fets, this is your cue to prove me wrong and run in a hat trick against Quins on Saturday

Can't argue with those stats in fairness. Would have thought Fets had scored more than that though.

And yeah, he really could have done better with that chance against Munster

menacethedenis wrote:

RonanL wrote:

menacethedenis wrote:

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

I'd be happy to take Fionn back but he's no Fetu'u Vainikolo

Playing devils advocate here a little because I do like Fets, but didn't Fionn score a LOT more tries than we've gotten from Fets?

That's probably true but Fet's all-round game is far, far superior and he just offers more, particularly from broken play, in my opinion

As I said, I like Fets. When he gets the ball there is an excitement in the crowd because he's likely to do anything. Having said that, I think that ever since he scored the wonder try against Scotland, people on here are looking at him through rose tinted glasses. For me, he still has a lot of deficiencies e.g. defence (something he shares with Fionn), and his inability to field a high ball. I googled the stats out of interest, and according to the rabo site, Fionn had 22 tries in 52 appearances for us, while Fets has 4 in 20. I think that’s only league games, but it’s hard to argue with those stats. Eric was fairly quick to remark on Fetu’s technique when it came to finishing the chance against Munster over Christmas too – Fionn would have finished that. By the way, I’m not Fionn’s agent or anything – he’s far from the complete player either. I just think people are very quick to focus on the positives of players they like, and the negatives of players they don’t.

Fets, this is your cue to prove me wrong and run in a hat trick against Quins on Saturday

ConnachtBOB wrote: Carr can stay where he is. He wanted nothing more than to leave a couple of years ago when it was clear to anyone that he wouldn't get much game time at the RDS. Leinster didn't want him, then Ulster didn't want him so Leinster ended up signing him for peanuts.

Why would we want someone that's not committed to us. We have better young lads now anyway that can defend and kick the ball better than he ever could and have really bought into the team.

I'll probably never be involved in the financial negotiations with players at Connacht, but I definitely think there is a price were I would bring Carr back. While at Connacht he proved that he could score tries and they could really use someone like that especially if Vainikolo leaves.

RonanL wrote:

menacethedenis wrote:

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

I'd be happy to take Fionn back but he's no Fetu'u Vainikolo

Playing devils advocate here a little because I do like Fets, but didn't Fionn score a LOT more tries than we've gotten from Fets?

That's probably true but Fet's all-round game is far, far superior and he just offers more, particularly from broken play, in my opinion

RogueXV wrote:

connachtexile wrote: Glad it's confirmed. Ever since the whole Jamie Hagan fiasco I don't trust rumour until I hear there signed.

As far as I remember Hagan was beyond rumour, there was an agreement to stay which I seem to recall came from Hagan himself, but he never signed a contract to that effect. It was why his leaving left a bad taste in a number of our mouths.

Hagan reneged on a verbal agreement to stay. The branch are as much to blame for not getting it signed and sealed but if a player doesn't want to be here we're better off without them I reckon.

RogueXV wrote:
As far as I remember Hagan was beyond rumour, there was an agreement to stay which I seem to recall came from Hagan himself, but he never signed a contract to that effect. It was why his leaving left a bad taste in a number of our mouths.

Yeah I remember that and remember being very pissed off at the time

RonanL wrote:
As far as I remember Hagan was beyond rumour, there was an agreement to stay which I seem to recall came from Hagan himself, but he never signed a contract to that effect. It was why his leaving left a bad taste in a number of our mouths.

Ya we probably did get a lot more tries from Carr, but there are more coming from different players now than there were then

menacethedenis wrote:

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

I'd be happy to take Fionn back but he's no Fetu'u Vainikolo

Playing devils advocate here a little because I do like Fets, but didn't Fionn score a LOT more tries than we've gotten from Fets?

connachtexile wrote: Glad it's confirmed. Ever since the whole Jamie Hagan fiasco I don't trust rumour until I hear there signed.

As far as I remember Hagan was beyond rumour, there was an agreement to stay which I seem to recall came from Hagan himself, but he never signed a contract to that effect. It was why his leaving left a bad taste in a number of our mouths.

Carr can stay where he is. He wanted nothing more than to leave a couple of years ago when it was clear to anyone that he wouldn't get much game time at the RDS. Leinster didn't want him, then Ulster didn't want him so Leinster ended up signing him for peanuts.

Why would we want someone that's not committed to us. We have better young lads now anyway that can defend and kick the ball better than he ever could and have really bought into the team.

connachtexile wrote:

i dont get why leinster wont come out and say it. why drag it out if contract is signed! unless he wants to get on with heineken cup, then when leinster fail coming out of the group, croinin will tell us he;s moving west?????

Leinster have a policy of announcing contract signings in batches and only announce who they are bringing in at the end or the start of the season unless its a special exception like Brad Torn. Cronin will be announce with a bunch of others near the end of the season until then he's bound by confidentiality to keep his gob shut.

Good to see George, Kearney and McKeown signed on. Harris-Wright to I think he's really done well since he's come here.

I'm not going to get too worked up over Cronin. If he returns great, if he stays at Leinster that's fine too. I'd just have to say that a player staying on for another 2 years would never be a distraction so Connachtexile is probably right about Leinster's policy. Though Cronin indicates it will be in a couple of weeks so that would put the announcement after the HEC games as some have said rather than the end of the season. I wouldn't completely rule out a return or some other move as maybe Cronin has asked that no announcement be made until after the Exeter game to avid any distraction, but it seems unlikely at this point.

I heard they felt Ray was getting on a bit and that Henry hadn't justified the wages he was getting. Nothing to do with any restrictions.

menacethedenis wrote:

salmson wrote:

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

We currently have 4 NIQs: White, Parks, Naoupu, Reynecke and projects Poolman and Ah You (other provinces only allowed one).

Ah You is off the list whether he stays or goes; and we can then reclassify White as a project player.

Parks and George are staying. So we can sign 2 foreign players if Reynecke leaves, 3 if Fetu goes too. So it depends on how many new NIQs we're looking at.

Don't the IRFU restrictions on signing overseas players only apply to the other provinces?

we have an extra player or two. thats it. thats why ray and henry fafailli was let go last season

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

I'd be happy to take Fionn back but he's no Fetu'u Vainikolo

salmson wrote:

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

We currently have 4 NIQs: White, Parks, Naoupu, Reynecke and projects Poolman and Ah You (other provinces only allowed one).

Ah You is off the list whether he stays or goes; and we can then reclassify White as a project player.

Parks and George are staying. So we can sign 2 foreign players if Reynecke leaves, 3 if Fetu goes too. So it depends on how many new NIQs we're looking at.

Don't the IRFU restrictions on signing overseas players only apply to the other provinces?

ConnachtCows wrote:

sea_point wrote:

menacethedenis wrote: Very happy with this but starting to get a bit worried Fetu'u hasn't been signed up yet.

I have a sneaky feeling in my gut that Fet's will be let leave and Carr will return...

Frankly, I want them both...!! :evil:

I'll tweet Fionn and ask him about it. Me and him are close

Oh dear.... :ohmy: :pinch: