Re: Pack for next season...
Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 10:22 am
Treadwell for Captain
Or Alan OConnor if fit
Or Alan OConnor if fit
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Nightsoil wrote:It will be if no one gets injured, particularly if Herbst and McCall hit their full potential. They turn the scrum from surviving to thriving.Dave wrote:Will it be good enough? Discuss...
When the injuries and Ireland call-ups come, we will run out of depth, and it won't be.
If that's going to change, then a whole rake of academy forwards need big breakout seasons. I'm not going to demand the coaches pick the young guys every chance they get, simply because my guess is most of them don't deserve it and won't gain enough from it, but a few risks might need taken with those who do have the glimmer of something as we search for life beyond Black, Lutton, Diack and Wilson. And I'd park that extra half a million in the best scrum coach and the best forwards coach I could (although I'm guessing the IRFU would say no).
Have to admit, I'm always musing ahead to signings for season after. Tempting Paddy Mac back would be nice. Maybe persuade Annett back too? I think Brendon O'Connor at Leicester is Irish-qualified - dunno when his contract is up, but could make a good replacement for Chad. Even a couple of quality IQ forwards from outside the province could make a huge difference.
Large Willie ...........the saviour of Alster. That could work.Rooster wrote:I wonder how long it will take before Willie Anderson and Clarke have a major bust up and Clarke comes out second best and departs.
Signed up to the academy for next season, to replace the departed Alex Codling, you know, the big hungry lad who has gone off to coach Ealing Trailfinders.Jackie Brown wrote:Is Willie involved these days?
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Signed up to the academy for next season, to replace the departed Alex Codling, you know, the big hungry lad who has gone off to coach Ealing Trailfinders.Jackie Brown wrote:Is Willie involved these days?
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Anything you'd like to share with the class?launish116 wrote:are we under the impression, all signings have been announced? and no more forwards to pop up?
I'd like to have you as my financial advisor.Russ wrote:Treadwell for Captain
Or Alan OConnor if fit
Nick had pedigree but pished it up the wall, was in last chance saloon and knew it. Cowboy had worked with him, so it was probably lower risk than you think. Ah Ye has never impressed me any time I've seen him prop in terms of technique, regardless of fitness. Lack of technique in a prop at that age is pretty crucial as far as I'm concerned. I'll happily be proved wrong btw.rorybestsbigbaldnoggin wrote:Remember when we signed Nick, and people were unsure whether we could get anything out of him? That's roughly Ah You now.againstthehead wrote:What do we make of Aye You? Haven't seen much of him myself - decent signing? Long way off a quality pack. At full-strength we could probably get parity with most sides at home but away from home, in particular, we need a bit more quality to be even competitive with the top sides. It's a shame because our backs are likely to be pretty handy.
To be clear, I'm not categorically saying that Ah You will guarantee us the same level of performance. However, there are striking similarities: both NZ u-20, both graduated to NH journeymen, both are prone to poor conditioning but can run over people if and when arsed. It could work out well, and Rory's endorsement stands for a lot, but there's a lot of work for Ah You to do before he steps foot on the pitch.
Harlequins not letting him go. Wanted him to staytherealspratt wrote:I have the fear that Treadwell's credentials are almost too good, massive lad who was a former county hurdler and yet Harlequins are willing to let him go? One would worry that he has some massive flaw in his game, but then again I'm a horribly paranoid individual and he was stuck behind two excellent prospects in Twomey and Matthews. Though if he does turn out to be the dog's proverbial a pairing with AOC with Alex Thompson on the bench would be a hell of thing down the line, almost rivalling Leinster's prospects in Molony and Ryan. On Rob, I would very much like Annett back to compete with him for the shirt post Rory because I don't think it's a done deal yet, though that said those already behind Rob have been showing some promise. A fair amount of this is just fiddling about with deckchairs on the Titanic though if we don't sort out the prop and back row situations.
If a player is out of contract and wants to go, whether the club is willing or not has nothing to do with it. Us and Scholes, Leinster and Kelleher, Quins and Treadwell. How have people not worked out how this one works yet?therealspratt wrote:I have the fear that Treadwell's credentials are almost too good, massive lad who was a former county hurdler and yet Harlequins are willing to let him go?
Here is a thought. If the IRFU are jumpy about TH props being brought in, does the class not feel they should then have a duty to redistribute the talent rather than having most of it festering in D4? Tricky one I know but if they can tell you you can't have one in case you block "pathways" then where is the logic in 3 of them in Mexico & only 2 getting a game for most of the season.Nightsoil wrote:Just on the propping issue and bringing back Paddy Mac - that can only be done season after next, and season after next, we'll probably have an NIQ slot free from losing Franco and a project slot for Herbst having done his time. The IRFU will probably block another top lock, tighthead's usually a sore spot for them, we already have a top NIQ back row, hooker's fine.
But loosehead has plenty of depth in the Ireland squad. I think if there's one spot they'll let us bring in a quality player, it'll be loosehead.
Of course, this is complete speculation. And we could bring in a top NIQ loosehead and Paddy, particularly if Warwick moves permanently to tighthead. But maybe there wouldn't be room for both.
Haven't we all heard this is one of Deadly Dave's intentions, solve log jams like this by getting players to where they were needed?BaggyTrousers wrote:Here is a thought. If the IRFU are jumpy about TH props being brought in, does the class not feel they should then have a duty to redistribute the talent rather than having most of it festering in D4? Tricky one I know but if they can tell you you can't have one in case you block "pathways" then where is the logic in 3 of them in Mexico & only 2 getting a game for most of the season.Nightsoil wrote:Just on the propping issue and bringing back Paddy Mac - that can only be done season after next, and season after next, we'll probably have an NIQ slot free from losing Franco and a project slot for Herbst having done his time. The IRFU will probably block another top lock, tighthead's usually a sore spot for them, we already have a top NIQ back row, hooker's fine.
But loosehead has plenty of depth in the Ireland squad. I think if there's one spot they'll let us bring in a quality player, it'll be loosehead.
Of course, this is complete speculation. And we could bring in a top NIQ loosehead and Paddy, particularly if Warwick moves permanently to tighthead. But maybe there wouldn't be room for both.
Suppose they will tell Ulster that we have acquired an international TH for next season ...............even if he had sipped to 3rd or 4th choice at Connacht.
As for Andrew Warwick, I see no way they will absolutely convert him to TH, we don't have enough options for LH either, though allegedly Rodders does both.
There is mileage in McCall and Paddy mac going forward, with maybe AW as back up. I'd then focus on Tight.Nightsoil wrote:Just on the propping issue and bringing back Paddy Mac - that can only be done season after next, and season after next, we'll probably have an NIQ slot free from losing Franco and a project slot for Herbst having done his time. The IRFU will probably block another top lock, tighthead's usually a sore spot for them, we already have a top NIQ back row, hooker's fine.
But loosehead has plenty of depth in the Ireland squad. I think if there's one spot they'll let us bring in a quality player, it'll be loosehead.
Of course, this is complete speculation. And we could bring in a top NIQ loosehead and Paddy, particularly if Warwick moves permanently to tighthead. But maybe there wouldn't be room for both.