mildlyinterested wrote:And a second row pairing of Fardy/Molony lacks power in the scrum too.
I'd have given Daly a trial post JWC fwiw, but I guess he has had a two year trial in the sub-academy.
If we were going to go after a power lock that's irish then John Madigan is the obvious player, but unlikely.
It's pretty apparent that there's a role there for Mick Kearney to fill, but he has to play better and be more of a presence on the pitch – physically and verbally. I don't think there's physically much between himself and Ulster's Alan O'Connor, for example, but O'Connor's leadership and aggression make him a much more valuable player for his province
Kearney is a decent Pro14-level player. He has previously shown the ability to play at this level – moreso at Connacht than here, admittedly. He's 27 this season, he should be entering his prime given his position. He's got a good situation at Leinster – I think he really needs to try and take mental stock of what he's currently doing, get advice from the coaches of what he needs to do better, and make a very big effort to change his habits to see how he can improve and get more time on the pitch. That might mean more effort than reward: always being the first person out on the pitch, trying to burst guys in training, cleaning up diet to the level of absolutely no craic, doing extra flexibility/fitness/skill sessions etc. But he's on the edge in terms of his position in the squad, and where would you rather be than Leinster?
Molony's position is certainly not impregnable at the moment. He didn't have a particularly good season last year. Given Kearney's advantages over him as a scrummager, there's 250/300 mins of gametime up for grabs there alongside Scott Fardy.