19/20 Season Preview: Wing

[mildlyinterested]

Fergus McFadden(33) - Signed contract in 2019
Dave Kearney(30) - Signed contract in 2019
Joe Tomane(29) - Signed 2 yr contract in 2018
James Lowe(27) - Signed 3yr contract in 2017
Barry Daly(26) - Signed contract in 2017
Rory O'Loughlin(25) - Signed contract in 2017
Adam Byrne(25) - Signed contract in 2017
Cian Kelleher(25) - Signed contract in 2019
Hugo Keenan(23) - Signed contract in 2019
Jimmy O'Brien(22) - Signed contract in 2019
Jordan Larmour(22) - Signed contract in 2018
Jack Kelly(21) - on temp WC contract
Gavin Mullin(21) - Academy Yr 3
Tommy O'Brien(21) - Academy Yr 3
Michael Silvester(21) - Academy Yr 2
Aaron O'Sullivan(19) - Academy Yr 2
Liam Turner(20) - Academy Yr 1

Where to begin? As you can see above there is no shortage of potential options... Fergus McFadden returns in what may be his final season, the leinster stalwart will want to finish on a high after an injury interrupted season but can he push himself back into leinster's strongest team? We shall wait and see. Dave Kearney had a relatively healthy season last season and showed his quality when called upon in europe, can he push for a starting position this season? Joe Tomane played some wing last season, will he focus on playing there this coming season? James Lowe enters the final year of his original leinster contract this season, a clear 1st choice for leinster can he perform at an even higher level this upcoming season? Barry Daly is coming off an injury interrupted season, regarded as the fastest player in the leinster squad he will be hoping to stay injury free and to push for a place in leinster's strongest side. Rory O'Loughlin had his breakout season on the wing, he played some wing last season for leinster and remains an option there. Adam Byrne season ended due to injury upto that point he was having a successful season at 14, he starts the preseason healthy and will hope to hit the ground running during the WC. Cian Kelleher returns from Connacht, where he had 3 good seasons, given the large number of options for leinster it will be interesting to see where he fits in the squad. Hugo Keenan earned a development contract last season while in his final year in the academy, he played 7's this summer and finished the 7's season injured, the severity of his injury is unclear so his availability for leinster remains unclear at present. Jimmy O'Brien is another player who earned a contract last season in his final year in the academy and another ex-7's player, the highly versatile back can play multiple positions where he focuses on this season shall be interesting. Jordan Larmour looks set to travel to the world cup, he had a somewhat less flashy season last season when compared to his debut season, plenty room for improvement in his game despite him being clear first choice and hopefully we see some of that in the coming season. Jack Kelly and his leinster contract seems to be somewhat up in the air, he was still playing 7's until recently and has yet to rejoin leinster for preseason, we shall wait and see if he does, if he does he faces an uphill battle for gametime. In the academy there are 5 potential wingers, from the centre/wings of Gavin Mullin, Tommy O'Brien and Liam Turner to the fullbacks/wings in Michael Silvester and Aaron O'Sullivan.. Silvester and O'Sullivan are due to play 7's next season while Mullin/O'Brien will be fighting for development contracts next season so the more versatility they show the better. Turner meanwhile will likely be focusing on developing at a position, will that be on the wing? We shall see.

[mildlyinterested]

Good stuff from Adam Byrne

https://www.the42.ie/adam-byrne-leinste ... 9-Sep2019/