Leinster Squad 21-22

[mildlyinterested]

Jack Dunne injured again playing for Leinster development.

[the spoofer]

Jack Dunne injured again playing for Leinster development.

We really need to increase our second row corps this year.

[Blue not red blood]

Leinster can’t afford to let Sheehan go as Nugget will be retiring this year.
Only would leave us with Kelleher and Tracy.

[Lock9541]

Leinster can’t afford to let Sheehan go as Nugget will be retiring this year.
Only would leave us with Kelleher and Tracy.

Academy player Lee Barron is huge he’s like 6’4 he has a lot of potential to be a good pro

[paddyor]

Jack Dunne injured again playing for Leinster development.

We really need to increase our second row corps this year.

The decision to let Dowling go west looks a mistake. Mind you if he’d stayed he probably wouldn’t have got many minutes.

[mildlyinterested]

Jack Dunne injured again playing for Leinster development.

We really need to increase our second row corps this year.

The decision to let Dowling go west looks a mistake. Mind you if he’d stayed he probably wouldn’t have got many minutes.

they chose dunne/baird over dowling.. looked the right decision at the time

[ronk]

I liked Dowling at the time. Handy player who I thought would do well in Connacht. I thought then and I still think it was the right move. Whatever level he hits will be off gametime he couldn't have gotten here.

[ronk]

Leinster also currently have 3 locks in the academy, so there's development minutes needed.

[paddyor]

We really need to increase our second row corps this year.

The decision to let Dowling go west looks a mistake. Mind you if he’d stayed he probably wouldn’t have got many minutes.

they chose dunne/baird over dowling.. looked the right decision at the time

Yes this is 100% hindsight. Molony over Beirne(though I'm not sure it was an either or decision)looks a mistake too but at the time looked sound.

[hugonaut]

I liked Dowling at the time. Handy player who I thought would do well in Connacht. I thought then and I still think it was the right move. Whatever level he hits will be off gametime he couldn't have gotten here.

Me too. We were [and are] looking to get bigger in the pack and Dunne is huge [203cm/120kg] compared to Dowling [196cm/109kg]. Dowling is doing well in Connacht and deserves the credit coming his way, but I would 100% have opted to keep Dunne ahead of him.

Reading a good few recent autobiographies over the Christmas break [RK, Keith Earls and Seanie's], it was reinforced to me that players are always injured. Even when they're not injured, they're playing hurt.

Our bigger issue is the lack of games. Covid doesn't help in any way but the new season structure obviously shuts down game time options for a huge raft of players. I am incredibly sceptical of the idea that is put forward by so many journalists [practically all of them – I haven't heard a dissenting voice] that the AIL is some sort of magical bridge that's as good as pro rugby for preparing players for pro rugby. It just isn't. However, it's better than nothing which is what we have at the moment.

[ronk]

Say one thing and you get a few free drinks in the right bars. Say the other and a lot of people (your job depends on) stop talking to you.

[TMC]

I think the chances of predation from Munster are overblown, they have done a lot of work on their own academy and need to shift on a few players to make room for their own prospects in their senior squad. JVG looks like he will be bringing a few of their SA contingent with him to Bath. People are worried about the backrow but Munster have a number of good, home bred backrows who need game time and given the number of 10s they have it wouldn’t take a huge leap of imagination to start the process to convert one of them to a 12. DDA will be a massive loss but they have got a chap from Saracens already. They have 5 capped Irish internationals in the back 3 so they cant play an beal bocht there. They have already recruited at front row, ( who reviews Lucifora's contract btw the complete shyster) Sheehan knows he is an injury to RK away from 10+ games as starter & he’d be mad to leave.

I’d be looking north with more fear and its traffic on the M1 we need to be more mindful of IMO. Ulster are a good outhalf away from having a cracking backline and haven’t been shy about poaching from Leinster in the past. An approach to Frawley from Belfast might prove too tempting to resist – that said I think they should give Lowry a go before trying anyone else. A lot of familiar faces and Dublin accents in Belfast already, makes moving there easier. That said Ulster are close to where Munster were a couple of seasons ago, they are already skirting very close to having too many non Ulstermen in their squad. I don’t think they can risk diluting any further, if that sense of place and passion goes you’re just left with guys punching in for a pay packet who don’t have the link and pride in the place to really dig it out against the odds. Think Ulster already close to the tipping point here. Lots of class Nordie backs, Hendo and feck all else genuine international class local lads up front. We all know who wins you the game.

[Serb]

I’m not too worried about Ulster personally. They’ve tended to take players who are older and have fallen out of favour or were on the fringes (e.g. Jack McGrath & Jordi Murphy).

When Munster have signed our players, they’ve tended to be high potential prospects (e.g. Conway, Carbery, Salanoa). Anecdotally, there seems to be more of a push from the IRFU to strengthen Munster than Ulster. Frawley and Sheehan fit the bill for a Munster move.

Also worth noting that the Saracens centre, Dom Morris, opted against signing for Munster and has renewed with Sarries.

[curates_egg]

Leavy to miss at least two months due to surgery on his wrist.
https://www.the42.ie/dan-leavy-leinster ... 1-Jan2022/

Poor guy really can't catch a break.
He's one of the best the academy has produced - right up there. But you have to wonder if it really makes sense to keep putting his body through this.

[mildlyinterested]

No sign of Jack Dunne at training or in injury report after going off injured on friday.

[mildlyinterested]

LH Prop
Cian Healy(34/Belvedere/Clontarf)
Ed Byrne(28/Clongowes/UCD)
Peter Dooley(27/Birr RFC/Lansdowne)
Andrew Porter(25/St. Andrews/UCD)
Michael Milne(22/Birr RFC-Roscrea/UCD) - injured.
--
Marcus Hanan(21/Clane RFC/Old Belvedere) - injured.
Jack Boyle(19/St. Michaels/UCD) - injured.

TH Prop
Michael Alaalatoa(30)
Tadhg Furlong(29/New Ross RFC/Clontarf)
Vakh Abdaladze(25/Coolmine RFC/Clontarf)
Tom Clarkson(21/Blackrock/DUFC)
--
Temi Lasisi(20/Enniscorthy/Lansdowne)

Hooker
Sean Cronin(35)
James Tracy(30/Newbridge/UCD)
Ronan Kelleher(23/St. Michaels/Lansdowne)
Dan Sheehan(23/Clongowes/Lansdowne)
--
John McKee(21/Campbell/Old Belvedere)
Lee Barron(20/St. Michaels/DUFC)

Lock
Devin Toner(35/Castleknock/Lansdowne)
Ross Molony(27/St. Michaels/UCD)
Josh Murphy(26/St. Michaels/UCD)
James Ryan(25/St. Michaels/UCD)
Jack Dunne(23/St. Michaels/DUFC)
Ryan Baird(22/St. Michaels/DUFC)
--
Charlie Ryan(22/Blackrock/UCD) - injured
Brian Deeny(21/Wexford RFC/Clontarf) - injured
Joe McCarthy(20/Blackrock/DUFC)

Backrow
Rhys Ruddock(30/Exile/St. Marys)
Jack Conan(29/St. Gerards/Old Belvedere)
Josh Van Der Flier(28/Wesley/UCD)
Dan Leavy(27/St. Michaels/UCD) - injured
Will Connors(25/Clongowes/UCD) - injured
Max Deegan(24/St. Michaels/Lansdowne)
Caelan Doris(23/Blackrock/DUFC)
Scott Penny(22/St. Michaels/UCD)
--
Martin Moloney(21/Athy RFC/Old Belvedere)
Sean O'Brien(21/Blackrock/UCD)
Mark Hernan(21/St. Michaels/Lansdowne) - injured
Alex Soroka(20/Belvedere/Clontarf)

Scrumhalf
Jamie Gibson Park(29)
Luke McGrath(28/St. Michaels/UCD)
Nick McCarthy(26/St. Michaels/UCD)
--
Cormac Foley(21/St. Gerards/Lansdowne)
Ben Murphy(20/Pres Bray/Old Wesley)

Outhalf
Jonathan Sexton(36/St. Marys/St. Marys)
Ross Byrne(26/St. Michaels/UCD)
Harry Byrne(22/St. Michaels/Lansdowne)
David Hawkshaw(22/Belvedere/Clontarf)
--
Charlie Tector(19/Kilkenny/Lansdowne)

Centre
Robbie Henshaw(28)
Rory O'Loughlin(27/St. Michaels/UCD)
Garry Ringrose(26/Blackrock/UCD)
Conor O'Brien(25/Mullingar RFC/Clontarf) - injured
Ciaran Frawley(24/Skerries RFC/UCD)
--
Liam Turner(22/Blackrock/DUFC)
Jamie Osborne(20/Naas RFC/Naas)

Back Three
Dave Kearney(32/Clongowes/Lansdowne) - injured
James Lowe(29)
Adam Byrne(27/Naas RFC/UCD)
Hugo Keenan(25/Blackrock/UCD)
Jimmy O'Brien(25/Newbridge/UCD)
Jordan Larmour(24/St. Andrews/St. Marys)
Tommy O'Brien(23/Blackrock/UCD)
--
Andrew Smith(21/St. Michaels/Clontarf)
Niall Comerford(21/Blackrock/UCD)
Max O'Reilly(21/St. Gerards/DUFC) - injured
Rob Russell(22/St. Michaels/DUFC)
Chris Cosgrave(20/St. Michaels/UCD)

[Oldschool]

Anyone figured out a set of criteria for voting on the Leinster Player of the Month for November/December.
Appearances for Leinster are hardly of much use and appearances for Ireland would be unfair to non internationals.

[LeinsterLeader]

Anyone figured out a set of criteria for voting on the Leinster Player of the Month for November/December.
Appearances for Leinster are hardly of much use and appearances for Ireland would be unfair to non internationals.

Whoever showed up most in the training sessions photo?

It's as good as anything else

[mildlyinterested]

Upon further investigation it appears Jack Dunne did train yesterday, good news.

[Donnybrook1]

One player who might benefit from a move down South is Jamie Osbourne . Backlog of centres here reducing his game time . A highly rated prospect like him should seek more minutes especially Champions Cup in the next 2-3 seasons