hugonaut wrote:Deegan is on 667 mins at the moment, fourth in terms of backrows behind Ruddock [848 mins], Conan [699 mins] and van der Flier [696 mins]. He'll pass out the latter two next game out if he plays 23 mins ... and then he'll have the second most minutes of any backrow in Leinster bar the club vice-captain this season. As a 22 year old.
In terms of appearances, he's joint third on 15 with Molony and Reider – although he has played more minutes than either – behind Tracy [19, 10+9], Gibson-Park [16, 10+6] and Porter [16, 3+13].
The idea that he's not getting enough exposure or enough games doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Deegan joined the Academy for the 2016-17 season [source: https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/201617-aca ... announced/ ], so he's way ahead of schedule: he should be in Year 3, and he has already played 36 senior games [17+19/10 tries], including appearances off the bench in a HEC QF and a Pro14 SF.
The contention that he's not playing enough at No8 is a different question. I think we should play him there more often myself. But where else is he going to play No8? Marcel Coetzee just signed a three year deal with Ulster - he's available to play every game of the season for the next three years, in theory. Stander's on a three-year deal until June 2021 [source: https://munsterrugby.ie/2017/12/21/stan ... -contract/ ]. Botha just signed an extension with Munster in December [source: https://munsterrugby.ie/2018/12/04/cont ... r-munster/ ].
So really the only option is Connacht. And that's the only conclusion that the writers of these articles should realistically be arriving at: "We've been singing Paul Boyle's praises, but frankly Deegan is just a better player and would stroll in and take the jersey off him. After all, he's all of 15 weeks older than him and has only played in 19 more games for a team who won the double last season." You take the argument that he should be thinking about leaving Leinster to a logical conclusion, and that's where you end up. That a guy who plays way more often in a better team than a player to whom he's senior by a whopping 3 months should leave to take the younger player's place in a worse team.
But nobody wants to take a p*ss on Paul Boyle [a Leinster born, bred and trained player who already moved, and who has done really well], nobody seems willing to countenance the basic fact that Deegan is playing loads of games for Leinster as a 21/22 year old, and nobody gives Cullen or Lancaster due credit for their selection policies over the last few years that have seen a half dozen players fast-tracked through the academy into senior rugby and into international rugby in a 12 month period [Ringrose, Ryan, Porter, Larmour, Carbery, O'Loughlin]. Sure what the f*ck do they know about player progression?
Maybe this is all pure space filling stuff in the media which can never have enough stories to run.
One explanation for Max playing across the back-row might be the fact that he is a year further in his development and has the flexibility to make a fist of all 3 positions, so as to allow Doris be eased into his first senior season in the position that he knows best.
I think both Deegan and Doris will be retained for 2019-20. I am most persuaded by the fact that our back-row resources are thinning out and that what we have is largely on Ireland squad duty. We need them both.
