FACECUTTR wrote: They are the only 2 AFAIK that we have. They will need game time this season as Tom will be getting called up next year and they need experience.

I hope we can have JHW back if Tom plays with Ireland... Wasn't bad, and we won't handle a whole season with 2 and a half hookers. Except if Dineen can step up, that's why I asked if someone saw him play this season...

Darragh wrote: ....Once you go three deep in any position, it's asking a bit to have starting squad levels of ability?

Yes it is and that's why we're champions. Our first choice player may not be the best in the league, but our third and fourth choices - Blade against Ospreys, Connolly in Thomond, O'Leary in the entire run in - hit levels way beyond what their counterparts in other teams did.

But the other provinces, bar maybe Leinster are similar.....Once you go three deep in any position, it's asking a bit to have starting squad levels of ability?

They are the only 2 AFAIK that we have. They will need game time this season as Tom will be getting called up next year and they need experience.

FACECUTTR wrote: Not sure where we go after those 3.

Yeah that was my question. Dineen played a few minutes in May 2015 in Thomond, but no more. I wonder how he and O'Toole did in B&I cup last season........ Because we may well need few appearences of one between them on the bench this season

Tom is fantastic. Heff is ok but Delahunt really looks good. I can't think why he didn't get more runs last season ? Not sure where we go after those 3.

I think Delahunt could play for Ireland. He has huge potential.

Heffernan is a handy squad player but no more imho.

I think we are doing as well as we can there. Would be very difficult to attract in there I would have thought. Now I could see a substitution for one of those two perhaps but would need to be behind Tom as I expect he has a pathway to the national team.

I would love to see Delahunt on the bench more this season and see how he goes, with Heffernan in reserve.

When Muldoon is slowing down, I'd rather see Heenan 6, Fox 7 SOB/McKeon/Masterson 8
What about worriness for n°2?

I wasn't implying those guys can't be good but as Champions of our league and facing an uber competitive and demanding Champions Cup, I feel in terms of quality, we could be better at 8 and 13.

However, Donaldson and Aki could work to be very good indeed. But if Aki has to play 12, I am more concerned.

I do worry about Masterson's durability also. He is a fantastic talent.

Having said all that, a back row of SOB, with Heenan at 8 and Fox -M at 7, could be exciting too. I really like SOB at 6.

I don't think we have too many s halves. We have 3 good senior players and academy lads. Marmion will be gone alot with International call ups along with the possibility of Cooney too now Reddan has gone.

I think Lam did a great job, especially to prepare with progressive steps the retirement of White/Loughney
Ronaldson/Aki will be a key pairing. But I disagree, even if the latter has to play some games as 12, I trust Griffin and Parata a lot. Same for Robb. Centre is a very strong area even without Robbie
Agree about Conan in 2018, but until Masterson is back in December we are more than ok with McKeon/Muldoon/SOB
We have too many SH, I guess Cooney will be back to Leinster/go to Munster next summer.
The only areas we can be a little light are hookers (only two knocks from having an Academy boy with no experience on the teamsheet) and locks if Marshall/Browne continue to be injury prone, added with the hypothesis of Schmidt wanting both Dillane and Roux in the same time

Although I am a huge fan of Masterson, still would love to see something at 8.

Maybe not this season, but next season hopefully. Muldoon is not getting any younger. Would love to see Conan come west.

Looking at the squad, 8 and 13 (if Aki plays 12) are probably where we are most vulnerable in terms of game breaking quality.

We still have one NIQ spot available, but this could be the definite Connacht squad 2016-17

1) Buckley, J.P Cooney, Loughney (Soroka/O'Donnell)
2) McCartney, Heff, Delahunt, (Dineen/O'Toole)
3) Bealham, White, Carey (Robertson-McCoy/Meunargia)
4) Roux, Stevenson, Romaine (Qualter/SOB)
5) Dillane, Marshall, Browne, (Gallagher/Claffey)
6) McKeon, SOB 2.0, Muldoon, (Connolly)
7) Heenan, Nepia, McKeon, (Moloney)
8 ) Masterson, McKeon, Muldoon (SOB 2.0)
9) Marmion, Blade, Cooney, (Kerrins/Lowndes/C.McKeon)
10) Boshoff, Carty, Ronaldson, (O'Leary)
11) Healy, TOH, Kelleher, (O'Keefe)
12) Aki, Ronaldson, Robb, McSharry (Brennan)
13) Griffin, Parata, Aki (Kelleher)
14) Poolman, Niyi, Leader, (Gaffney)
15) TOH, Rowland, Leader, (Healy)

Accidentally Onside wrote: I think Lewis is a great signing, exactly the sort of player we need to come in and do a job for a year whilst the young lads in the academy develop.

Big tough sob who will benefit from the skills training he'll get at Connacht too so win win.

We had 6 (and a half) locks in a 40 man senior squad last season, but despite adding a few players for this year we only had 5 until Stevenson signed. We lost a lot of bulk and experience when Aly and George left, Stevenson doesn't have the ball skills of those boys but he goes some wsy to replacing them.

There are a stack of quality NZ locks not yet signed up for Super rugby 2017 so was hoping we'd get one of those. Obviously Romano is out of our budget (would anyone be surprised to see him rock up at Bath?) but I'd hoped that Pat might have signed Fatialofa - Auckland boy who went from wider traing group to starter for champions Hurricanes - or Seu who played 6 for Chiefs because Bird and Retallick, but that's probably not happening now.

What Onside and Connachta said, in short.

I think Lewis is a great signing, exactly the sort of player we need to come in and do a job for a year whilst the young lads in the academy develop.

Big tough sob who will benefit from the skills training he'll get at Connacht too so win win.

I was thinking that Cian Romaine would start to get some game time at second row this year. Lewis signing might mean that he is not quite ready yet?