Leinster Squad 18-19

[paulmpb]

*

[paulmpb]

Whatever they are at in Moichaels they should bottle it and export it.

The Ulster branch should send a team down to study them for a year.

Ulster?! Aren't you forgetting some others in perhaps even greater need of guidance?

No. Because the lesson we teach and the lesson they learn would be different.

It would be a scouting mission.

I wish I could like posts here.

[Slowcentre]

It’s Nucifora’s job not to get it. He’s implementing a different strategic plan, quietly.

Players being moved around at will seriously dilutes the identity of the team. We can see just how much crowds in super rugby have fallen due to this amongst numerous other things, it's a very dangerous path to go down.

This has nothing to do with the drop in crowds,you only have to look at football or any of the American sports to see that (as Seinfeld put it) people will cheer on the clothes no matter who is wearing them.Having local players definitely makes it better imo but it’s not at all necessary for bringing in crowds.


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[ronk]

If you're good enough you're Irish enough.

If they werent a drain on players and money id have no issue with the amount of recruitment they're doing.

[Dave Cahill]

It’s Nucifora’s job not to get it. He’s implementing a different strategic plan, quietly.

Players being moved around at will seriously dilutes the identity of the team. We can see just how much crowds in super rugby have fallen due to this amongst numerous other things, it's a very dangerous path to go down.

This has nothing to do with the drop in crowds,you only have to look at football or any of the American sports to see that (as Seinfeld put it) people will cheer on the clothes no matter who is wearing them.Having local players definitely makes it better imo but it’s not at all necessary for bringing in crowds.


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American sports don't have nearly 150 years of geographical representative teams the way rugby does.

[ronk]

Leinster Squad 2018-2019

LH Prop
Cian Healy(30) - Signed central 3yr contract in 2016
Jack McGrath(28) - Signed central 3yr contract in 2016
Ed Byrne(24) - Signed 2yr contract in 2017
Peter Dooley(24) - Signed contract in 2018

TH Prop
Michael Bent(32) - Signed contract in 2018
Tadhg Furlong(25) - Signed central 3yr contract in 2018
Andrew Porter(22) - Signed contract in 2017
Vakh Abdaladze(22) - Signed contact in 2018
Jack Aungier(19) - Academy Yr 2
Michael Milne(18/19) - Academy Yr 1

Hooker
Sean Cronin(32) - Signed contract in 2018
James Tracy(27) - Signed contract in 2018
Bryan Byrne(24) - Signed contract in 2017
Ronan Kelleher(20) - Academy Yr 2

Lock
Scott Fardy(34) - Signed 2 yr contract in 2017
Devin Toner(32) - Signed central 3yr contract in 2017
Ian Nagle(29) - Signed contract in 2017
Mick Kearney(27) - Signed contract in 2017
Ross Molony(24) - Signed contract in 2018
James Ryan(22) - Signed contract in 2017
Oisin Dowling(21) - Academy Yr 2
Jack Dunne(19) - Academy Yr 1
Ryan Baird(18/19) - Academy Yr 1

Backrow
Sean O'Brien(31) - Signed central 3 yr contract in 2016
Rhys Ruddock(27) - Signed contract in 2018
Jack Conan(26) - Signed contract in 2017
Josh Van Der Flier(25) - Signed contract in 2018
Dan Leavy(24) - Signed contract in 2017
Josh Murphy(23) - Signed contract in 2018
Will Connors(22) - Signed contract in 2018
Max Deegan(21) - Signed contract in 2017
Caelan Doris(20) - Signed contract in 2018
Scott Penny(18/19) - Academy Yr 1

Scrumhalf
Jamie Gibson Park(26) - Signed 3 yr contract in 2016
Luke McGrath(25) - Signed contract in 2017
Nick McCarthy(23) - Signed contract in 2017
Hugh O'Sullivan(20) - Academy Yr 2
Patrick Patterson(19/20) - Academy Yr 1

Outhalf
Jonathan Sexton(33) - Signed central 4 yr contract in 2015
Ross Byrne(23) - Signed contract in 2017
Ciaran Frawley(20) - Academy Yr 2
Harry Byrne(19) - Academy Yr 1

Centre
Joe Tomane(28) - Signed contract in 2018
Noel Reid(28) - Signed contract in 2017
Robbie Henshaw(25) - Signed 3yr contract in 2016
Tom Daly(25) - Signed contract in 2018
Rory O'Loughlin(24) - Signed contract in 2017
Garry Ringrose(23) - Signed contract in 2018
Conor O'Brien(22) - Academy Yr 3
Jimmy O'Brien(21) - Academy Yr 3
Gavin Mullin(20) - Academy Yr 2
Tommy O'Brien(20) - Academy Yr 2

Back Three
Rob Kearney(32) - Signed central contract until 2019 WC.
Fergus McFadden(32) - Signed contract in 2018
Dave Kearney(29) - Signed contract in 2018
James Lowe(26) - Signed 3yr contract in 2017
Barry Daly(25) - Signed contract in 2017
Adam Byrne(24) - Signed contract in 2017
Hugo Keenan(22) - Academy Yr 3
Jordan Larmour(21) - Signed contract in 2018
Jack Kelly(20) - Academy Yr 3
Tommy O'Brien(20) - Academy Yr 2
Michaels Silvester(20) - Academy Yr 1
Aaron O'Sullivan(18) - Academy Yr 1

Tommy O'Brien included twice (centre & Back Three). Big Squad (63 in listing) with lots of mouths to feed - with game time.

Come preseason we'll have minimal depth at loosehead and hooker. Kelleher might rush through preseason a bit. Light depth at tighthead too but a chance for Vak.

Molony gets a chance to impress.

Backrow will depend on returning injuries. But we should be ok.

Scrumhalf is full compliment. Outhalf is academy only.

Plenty of options at centre and wing. Will be interesting to see which fullback option gets picked.

[ronk]

American sports can't have local players due to the draft-college system.

[Slowcentre]

Players being moved around at will seriously dilutes the identity of the team. We can see just how much crowds in super rugby have fallen due to this amongst numerous other things, it's a very dangerous path to go down.

This has nothing to do with the drop in crowds,you only have to look at football or any of the American sports to see that (as Seinfeld put it) people will cheer on the clothes no matter who is wearing them.Having local players definitely makes it better imo but it’s not at all necessary for bringing in crowds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

American sports don't have nearly 150 years of geographical representative teams the way rugby does.

British football used to,didn’t Celtic win the European Cup with every player born within 30 or 40 miles of the ground.
Crowds haven’t suffered in the Top 14 either and if the provinces kept winning I would lay good odds that the crowds would come no matter where the players originated.


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[fourthirtythree]

Soccer has a history of transfers back to the 19th C. I think it was Blackburn that hired a slew of Scottish players to get success first. Scotland went pro before most of England. I'm not sure Irish provinces could move about location to new, state funded, arenas keeping the second half of their name (Dundalk Lions? Bray Blues?) nor could Irish rugby remain competitive in the actual profit generating international games if we all went the way Munster are going.

[Dave Cahill]

The Celtic team is remembered because of how unusual that was, not because it was the norm. 433 has already mentioned the 'Scotch Professors' as they were called, though one of the reasons they came south was because England went pro first, and Scotland remained amateur for another couple of years - indeed the club many of the scottish players played for, Queens Park, remains an amateur club. You look at the old great clubs of English football and very few of their players, certainly their star players, were local. Stanley Matthews was from Stoke, Elisha Scott was Irish, Duncan Edwards was from the black country etc.

The Top14, again, isn't made up of representative teams, they are club sides with players moving regularly between them so that tradition that exists in Ireland, SA, Aus and NZ isn't as prevalent at all in France - France have been de facto professional since the 1920s and were thrown out of the 5 Nations in the 30s because of it.

[wixfjord]

Anyone have any thoughts on Jack Kelly?

If he goes well in pre-season he could get a bit of game time at 15 given our lack of cover there. I haven't been hugely impressed with him given the hype, but he physically looks to have the goods to make a step up.

[mildlyinterested]

Needs a big preseason.. still only 20 but needs to improve and show the ability/form that warranted him joining academy straight from school.

[fourthirtythree]

. 433 has already mentioned the 'Scotch Professors' as they were called, though one of the reasons they came south was because England went pro first, and Scotland remained amateur for another couple of years - indeed the club many of the scottish players played for, Queens Park, remains an amateur club. You look at the old great clubs of English football and very few of their players, certainly their star players, were local.it.

That whole remembering something. But the exact wrong way around again.

As an aside I wonder were they annoyed at being called after the drink rather than Scots?

[Dave Cahill]

As an aside I wonder were they annoyed at being called after the drink rather than Scots?

At the time it wouldn't have been an issue - it was only around then that the preference for the world 'scottish' amongst the scottish themselves started to become prevalent.

Its a bit like the word Celt. For a long time the pronunciation with the soft C was considered correct - hence Glasgow Celtic or The Anglo-Celt (newspaper in cavan/monaghan/leitrim) but language changes and there was a linguistic shift influenced by academia who used the hard C (in reference to the greek 'Keltoi') we consider normal now, the Celtic League.

Anyways - Jack Kelly....

[ronk]

Needs a big preseason.. still only 20 but needs to improve and show the ability/form that warranted him joining academy straight from school.

I dunno, fullback is hard if you get targeted. Its good to get a chance to develop and build.

It really set Niall Morris back when he had a stinker

[mildlyinterested]

Needs a big preseason.. still only 20 but needs to improve and show the ability/form that warranted him joining academy straight from school.

I dunno, fullback is hard if you get targeted. Its good to get a chance to develop and build.

It really set Niall Morris back when he had a stinker

You don't know what?

About Kelly needing a big preseason?

[Peg Leg]

About playing at FB (tis how I read it).
I.e. best to give him a few hit outs on the wing. Have to say I was super excited about him following the reports here about his schools game (I don't follow schools other than the content up on here).
Tempered now by LRIP.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Based on that A game I wouldn't have him anywhere near the wing. Sorry for going on about it but he was so all over the place that I'm still not over it.

Having seen how good he was at fullback in school I'd like to see him play there and think that focusing on it could help him. Like I said recently, I think he's crying out for a loan move, but maybe this new A league will do the trick too. Even if it's not going to happen now (and I'm aware it's not going to happen at all btw), I'd hope that there's scope for a short term deal in the new year.

[mildlyinterested]

He will only be 21 in the new year they aren't going to be sending him elsewhere.. He needs to stay healthy and improve.

[ronk]

I didnt see A game. If he's not ready for that level hes probably not ready for senior squad.

Kelly doesn't have the option of having Isa steer him from the wing. Best is to just work on his game and get ready for later.