Who is your Leinster Young Player of Year?

[Lar]

Lowe is curate's egg? Who knew?

Fardy for me for player of the season. Although the list of candidates is indeed long.

[backrower8]

Lowe is curate's egg? Who knew?

Fardy for me for player of the season. Although the list of candidates is indeed long.

The list of candidates is long? Who knew?!!

[Laighin Break]

Leinster u23 XV:

1. Peter Dooley(23) - 9 apps
2. Ronan Kelleher(20)
3. Andrew Porter(22) - 16 apps
4. Ross Molony(23) - 16 apps
5. James Ryan(21) - 11 apps
6. Josh Murphy(23) - 9 apps
7. Dan Leavy(23) - 12 apps
8. Max Deegan(21) - 15 apps
9. Nick McCarthy(23) - 16 apps
10. Ross Byrne(23) - 23 apps
11. Tommy O'Brien(20)
12. Ciaran Frawley(20) - 3 apps
13. Garry Ringrose(23) - 7 apps
14. Jordan Larmour(20) - 16 apps
15. Joey Carbery(22) - 9 apps

Wow! That's some team. You could put that out in the pro14 v all but the best and expect to win more than you lost.

8 ex-Michael's including 5 of the pack and the half backs...yes I am biased, but I would highlight any club or school that had that sort of output.

In rugby or any sport?

[mildlyinterested]

incredible how michaels have under performed in the cup given the talent.. 1 cup this decade, no final since 13.

[curates_egg]

Lowe is a curate's egg...but not worthy of shortlist in a truncated season and with his defensive f*rts. I am nonetheless in favour his selection in the biggest matches.

Why is farts censored?
Farts, farts, farts, farts, farts.

[backrower8]

In rugby or any sport?

Any sport that I was aware of…which essentially means rugby

[backrower8]

incredible how michaels have under performed in the cup given the talent.. 1 cup this decade, no final since 13.

It certainly is. But not as incredible as a school, of any size, producing the quantity of pro players that regularly make up a quarter of the match day squad for one of the best club teams in the world.

[brotheroffrank]

If James Ryan can go through the rest of the season uninjured and undefeated as a professional player....that could shade the award in his favour.....

[Leinster Lout]

If James Ryan can go through the rest of the season uninjured and undefeated as a professional player....that could shade the award in his favour.....

"And STILL.."

[Laighin Break]

In rugby or any sport?

Any sport that I was aware of…which essentially means rugby

I think about half (maybe more) of the Cuala team that have won 2 All-Irelands in a row were in the same school.
Without doing any research, I'd say a lot of St Kieran's ex pupils won numerous All-Irelands with Kilkenny

[backrower8]

In rugby or any sport?

Any sport that I was aware of…which essentially means rugby

I think about half (maybe more) of the Cuala team that have won 2 All-Irelands in a row were in the same school.
Without doing any research, I'd say a lot of St Kieran's ex pupils won numerous All-Irelands with Kilkenny

Impressive in an amateur environment, but not relevant to this thread or message board.

[mildlyinterested]

Leinster u23 XV:

1. Peter Dooley(23) - 9 apps
2. Ronan Kelleher(20)
3. Andrew Porter(22) - 16 apps
4. Ross Molony(23) - 16 apps
5. James Ryan(21) - 11 apps
6. Josh Murphy(23) - 9 apps
7. Dan Leavy(23) - 12 apps
8. Max Deegan(21) - 15 apps
9. Nick McCarthy(23) - 16 apps
10. Ross Byrne(23) - 23 apps
11. Tommy O'Brien(20)
12. Ciaran Frawley(20) - 3 apps
13. Garry Ringrose(23) - 7 apps
14. Jordan Larmour(20) - 16 apps
15. Joey Carbery(22) - 9 apps

Wow! That's some team. You could put that out in the pro14 v all but the best and expect to win more than you lost.

8 ex-Michael's including 5 of the pack and the half backs...yes I am biased, but I would highlight any club or school that had that sort of output.

Blackrock.

[curates_egg]

8 ex-Michael's including 5 of the pack and the half backs...yes I am biased, but I would highlight any club or school that had that sort of output.

Blackrock.

Relative to size and number of players in the squad, Michaels clearly tops Blackrock. Would Clongowes not be the best performer on a size-players in the squad metric?

[mildlyinterested]

8 ex-Michael's including 5 of the pack and the half backs...yes I am biased, but I would highlight any club or school that had that sort of output.

Blackrock.

Relative to size and number of players in the squad, Michaels clearly tops Blackrock. Would Clongowes not be the best performer on a size-players in the squad metric?

He didn't say anything about relative to size.

[curates_egg]

Relative to size and number of players in the squad, Michaels clearly tops Blackrock. Would Clongowes not be the best performer on a size-players in the squad metric?

He didn't say anything about relative to size.

I know but the statistic is pretty blunt/meaningless otherwise.
Rock senior school has (I guess) over 1000 boys, most of whom play rugby at some level in first year I would guess.
Michaels (I guess) +/- 650.
Clongowes 400?

[Laighin Break]

Any sport that I was aware of…which essentially means rugby

I think about half (maybe more) of the Cuala team that have won 2 All-Irelands in a row were in the same school.
Without doing any research, I'd say a lot of St Kieran's ex pupils won numerous All-Irelands with Kilkenny

Impressive in an amateur environment, but not relevant to this thread or message board.

The topic of how many ex-Michael's players are playing for Leinster isn't exactly relevant to the thread either. I asked whether you meant just rugby or any sport, and you said "any sport that I was aware of", you seem aware of GAA so I don't see how that's not relevant?

[backrower8]

And for the second time of asking, what I actually said in answer to your leading question was: Any sport that I was aware of…which essentially means rugby

So that would rule out club level GAA, which remains irrelevant to this forum.

[Laighin Break]

And for the second time of asking, what I actually said in answer to your leading question was: Any sport that I was aware of…which essentially means rugby

So that would rule out club level GAA, which remains irrelevant to this forum.

Fair enough. There are a fair few ex-Michael's lads in the Leinster squad, but when there are only a small(ish) number of schools in Leinster playing rugby, and only a handful of those with the money that Michael's has, it's hardly that surprising

[backrower8]

Relative to size and number of players in the squad, Michaels clearly tops Blackrock. Would Clongowes not be the best performer on a size-players in the squad metric?

He didn't say anything about relative to size.

As at the start of the year the numbers coming from schools with more than 1 past pupil were:
St Michael's - 10 senior contracts, not including Josh Murphy who has played senior team all year/ 14 including academy
Clongowes - 6 senior contracts/ 7 overall
Blackrock - 3 senior contracts including Jordi & Joey who is more a product of Athy RFC than 1 final year at Rock/ 9 overall including Jordi and Loughman
St Mary's - 2 senior contracts/ 3 overall
Newbridge - 2 senior contracts (pre Jamie retiring)/ 3 overall
Belvedere - 1 senior contract/ 2 overall
St Andrew's - 1 senior contract, not including Larmour who has played senior team all year/ 2 overall

Based on those figures of senior contracts Michael's (11 from 650 including Josh Murhy as a senior player) and Clongowes (6 from 450) are way ahead of Mary's (2 from 430), Newbridge (including Jamie at 2 from 440 boys); Andrew's (incl. Larmour as a Senior player, 2 from circa 500 boys) and then Blackrock (3 from 1,000).

When in the professional, or any, era did any school have more than 11 in the squad at any one time?

It is notable that there are no players, senior or academy, from Terenure.

[backrower8]

And for the second time of asking, what I actually said in answer to your leading question was: Any sport that I was aware of…which essentially means rugby

So that would rule out club level GAA, which remains irrelevant to this forum.

Fair enough. There are a fair few ex-Michael's lads in the Leinster squad, but when there are only a small(ish) number of schools in Leinster playing rugby, and only a handful of those with the money that Michael's has, it's hardly that surprising

No, there are a lot of schools playing rugby in Leinster (and Ulster), always have been. Money is not the driving factor in Michael's, if it was then other schools with comparable budgets (Belvedere, Blackrock) would have similar player outputs, they don't. Not even close. They do however know how to win the Senior cup. The rugby culture within the school in the last 10 years is the main difference.