All the best Cooney.

[MightyRearranger]

Cooney's form hasn't been playing as well as he has recently, though even at that that he's still one of our key players and well worth a place near the top of the Irish pecking order. He was incredibly unlucky with the timing of the Covid break to the last six nations, before the Italy and France matches were postponed he was expected to start in both, but didn't even make the next squad.

My suspicion is that his exclusion is part of a wider 'succession planning' type approach, with the IRFU not wanting both Murray and his next in line to be in their mid thirties at the time of the next world cup. Murray has been a shadow of his former self for years now, and if I was to given the choice of him or Cooney and a youngster I'd take the latter in a heartbeat, but obviously Farrell disagrees.

[Dave]

Farrell views both Casey and JGP as better than Cooney. It's nothing to with the blooming world Cup. There are plenty of 30+ players in the squad. Cooney is 30 and JPG is 29 ffs. Sexton is 35 and is admitting he's not likely to play in the world Cup with only getting a one year deal. Keith Earls is 33. He should be dropped for a winger not starting for his club and half a cap.

Cooney is getting rode roughshod.

[lovesthehardground]

Agreed. Age has little to do with his non selection. The reason is more likely to be that Sexton doesn't want to play outside him, a play maker who can make decisions himself and not be dictated to by the out half. If you compare Cooney and Murray you would say - Box kicking: more or less on a par with each other; Passing: not much in it, maybe Murray shades it?; Speed at breakdown: Cooney is quicker to get to the ruck and to get the ball away; Breaks: Again Cooney better at sniping; Tackling/Cover: Cooney shades this?; Support lines: Absolutely no contest, Cooney miles better; Goal kicking: Again Cooney for me is more reliable than Murray.
So head to head I feel Cooney wins hands down. But then I a bit biased but also believe that the best player should play now rather than build for the future by picking a goblin and a youngster who may well grow into a good player but isn't there yet.