Replacing Leinster's older generation over next 12 to 24 months

[Keith]

To partially answer a question earlier in the thread, I've been told by people who would know that a big part of Nash's reason for going to the AFL was that Hawthorne made special arrangements for him to further his education. He orignally intended to study medicine but switched to undenominated science. Maybe he still has plans to go back to medicine, he's young enough.

AFL is a hugely attritional game. It's not always the obvious injuries, of the type you would also get in rugby, that end careers. Players have to cover huge mileage every week. They cover around 14-15km per match, often at a sprint. The games are two hours long and the pitch is the size of a cricket oval. Your perception can be skewed by ultra-durable headline makers; Stynes, Ablett, O'Loughlin, but pro careers typically don't last much longer than five years.

I know Nash personally, he loves it over in Aus obviously but he still keeps an eye on Leinster and mentioned a couple of years ago how he would love to be out there playing in blue in a big European game.

Apparently Hawthorn fans don't rate him highly so who knows he could come back. I think it's an absolute tragedy to be losing our athletes to that sport over there but fair play to any lad for taking the opportunity.

[hugonaut]

I try and keep up to date with how he is doing and heard an interview that he did at the end of last year with an Irish show; it was before Conor Glass went home, so it must have been in 2020.

He came across as a balanced, intelligent guy who knows his own mind and is confident in his abilities and opinions; there was more in the interview than you would get from a Leinster player of the same age, but that's sort of to be expected, because nobody in Ireland is giving him sh*t for Hawthorn not doing well! Most people in Ireland [including myself] don't really understand Aussie Rules ... there's way more curiosity than criticism in an interview like that, and you can give a straight opinion without worrying if you are going to get a load of sh*t on social media for it.

The guy has rare athletic ability; I saw him play live once [must have been a Leinster Youths game] and he looked like a different species to the rest of the players on the pitch.

[neiliog93]

I'd certainly hope we'd give Nash a one-year deal if he chose to come home. A very rare type of athlete and certainly worth a punt.

[riocard911]

I'd certainly hope we'd give Nash a one-year deal if he chose to come home. A very rare type of athlete and certainly worth a punt.

One could imagine a certain reluctance on Lancaster's part to getting involved in such a cross-over scenario again after his traumatic experience with the Burgess imbroglio pre- and at the RWC2015....

[OTT]

I'd certainly hope we'd give Nash a one-year deal if he chose to come home. A very rare type of athlete and certainly worth a punt.

One could imagine a certain reluctance on Lancaster's part to getting involved in such a cross-over scenario again after his traumatic experience with the Burgess imbroglio pre- and at the RWC2015....

Nash could make a good scapegoat for the media like Burgess was, bring Nash off in a big game which you are winning and have control of and then blame him when you lose it.

(Not suggesting for a minute Lancaster blamed Burgess I’m sure he took a lot of self blame and was thrown under the bus himself as head coach but the amount put on Burgess from other sources was absolutely ridiculous considering the facts).

[Morf]

I'd certainly hope we'd give Nash a one-year deal if he chose to come home. A very rare type of athlete and certainly worth a punt.

One could imagine a certain reluctance on Lancaster's part to getting involved in such a cross-over scenario again after his traumatic experience with the Burgess imbroglio pre- and at the RWC2015....

Or Folau who did League, Aussie Rules and Union with little enough issue til the other stuff . . .

[hugonaut]

Hawthorn slipped to another defeat and remain close to the foot of the table after ten games [source: https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/ladder ]. Nash has only featured in one game, a heavy loss against league-leading Melbourne in Round 5.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

At this stage I'm beginning to wonder if Nash is in Australia to stay far away from you, Hugo

Have to say, watching the game yesterday I don't think we'd have been able to cope with that LAR pack's physicality even when they were a man down. I know it was a back that was sent off but I reckon we'd have struggled to get the ball off them and stop their close in carriers.

[ronk]

Cross code movement is hard, especially away from further away. It's controversial if it goes wrong, i.e. high risk.

MOC had played league, so he was better placed for coaching Teo'o. An Australian side would be better placed to evaluate and convert Nash. Rugby being his 3rd sport makes it a lot harder. Folau was a can't miss prospect. Nash appears to have already missed and we have enough examples of underage Irish stars who sank hard even without code switches, especially ones who were especially physically gifted.

[ronk]

ROG seemed to cast doubt on leinster's squad and their ability to replace their older leaders in his recent examiner article: https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/c ... 43042.html

Below is a list of Leinster's older generation nearing the end of their leinster careers and two players who could potentially replacement them

Cian Healy(33) -> Michael Milne(21) or Jack Boyle(U19)
Sean Cronin(34) -> Dan Sheehan(22) or Lee Barron(U20)
Michael Bent(34) -> Tom Clarkson(20) or Rory McGuire(U19)
Devin Toner(34) -> Jack Dunne(22) or Joe McCarthy(U20)
Scott Fardy(36) -> Ryan Baird(21) or Alex Soroka(U20)
Johnny Sexton(35) -> Harry Byrne(21) or Charlie Tector(U19)
Rob Kearney(34) -> Hugo Keenan(24) or Chris Cosgrave(U20)
Fergus McFadden(34) -> Andrew Smith(20) or Jamie Osborne(U20)

All of the above senior players contracts end in June 2021, except Kearney & McFadden who finish could be finished in two weeks time, i'd say it's safe to say Healy and Sexton will almost certainly continue playing beyond that point.. what happens with the rest is difficult to forecast but any of them calling it a day on their career wouldn't be hugely surprising.

Coming to the end of the season, of those 8 players: 2 are still international starters, 2 have fallen down the depth chart (but are still useful) and the others won't be around next season.

All have replacements in place. Healy and Sexton will probably make the RWC (barring injury), Cronin and Toner unlikely to get extended again.

Looking further forward there's Tracy, Ruddock and Kearney in 30s.

[hugonaut]

At this stage I'm beginning to wonder if Nash is in Australia to stay far away from you, Hugo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_(film)

[LeRouxIsPHat]

At this stage I'm beginning to wonder if Nash is in Australia to stay far away from you, Hugo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_(film)

[mildlyinterested]

no sign of nash playing right now for hawthorn

edit: it's not live

[hugonaut]

no sign of nash playing right now for hawthorn

edit: it's not live

He played in Round 14, his second appearance of the season. However he has been dropped for Round 15 [link: https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/9641 ... un-the-sub ].

In the wider context, Hawthorn finished 4th in 2018, 9th in 2019, 15th in 2020 and are currently in 17th [second last]. They're a team going backwards.

[mildlyinterested]

article that he was planning on coming back to visit ireland in october: https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2021/06/0 ... imonstown/

someone offer the man a contract.

[hugonaut]

article that he was planning on coming back to visit ireland in october: https://www.meathchronicle.ie/2021/06/0 ... imonstown/

someone offer the man a contract.

Interesting. His position at Hawthorn isn't looking good. The team aren't having a good season, and the coach Alastair Clarkson ['Clarko'] has started picking a significant number of young players [link: https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/9633 ... debutants- ]. He's rebuilding the team, but Nash isn't getting looked at as part of the solution.

Clarkson is the longest-serving coach currently active in the ARL and had huge success in 2011-2015, including winning three premierships in a row from 2013-15. He's the most successful coach in Hawthorn's history. He brought Nash into the organisation in October 2016 [almost five years ago now].

Hawthorn have a 45 man squad and, including Nash, there are 12 active players who have played in two or fewer games; eight of them are teenagers and another is a guy who turned 20 earlier this year whose father and grandfather also played for the club.

So aside from those nine nippers, Nash is in a gang of three with Lachlan Bramble, a 23 year old who was signed from the VFL [the second string league] before the season, and Keegan Brooskby, a 31 year old guy whose career consists of 16 pro games over five years for three different clubs. Not a great spot to be in.

Obviously it might turn around for him at Hawthorn, or he might move somewhere else for next season and start getting more games. Who knows?

[ronk]

He's the Ian Madigan of AFL.

[Laighin Break]

Is it definitely not a case of him having injuries?

[hugonaut]

Good game from Nash for Box Hill in the VFL [second tier competition]:

"Conor Nash was named his team’s best player, with the dashing Irishman’s influence plain to see. He finished with a game-high 13 contested possessions and nine clearances, an equal team-high five centre bounce clearances and a team-high six tackles. He’d also contribute a classy running goal."

[source: https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/9675 ... r-box-hill ]

[Flash Gordon]

Nash is clearly a fine athlete but from a rugby perspective he's missed 5 years of development in a very technical sport and one that has some skill sets that are comparable but which is pretty different. Not sure talking about him as someone who has lost something or blown it is right, the lad has had 5 years playing top level pro sport in another country which most of us would kill for!