connachta wrote: Well, as I said earlier there, there's no way we could let McKeon and Farrell going
Others are in the balance

Parata is almost certainly gone as per posts above, looks like Ili thinks he's staying.
www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/connacht-...t-west-35580563.html

That would leave 27 signed so far (including Ili), 2 leaving (Cooney & Parata) and 18 as-yet-unknown. I don't see us having 47 in the senior squad next year (we've never carried more than 41 senior players before) especially if, as seems 90% certain, we're in the Challenge Cup next term, so I'd be expecting a lot more lads to leave than last year.

Well, as I said earlier there, there's no way we could let McKeon and Farrell going
Others are in the balance

Bazzo wrote: This time last year we had just got an uodate confirming the majority of the senior squad who would be departing. Still an awful lot of question marks in the current squad aren't there? And we have 0 confirmed signings as of yet unless I'm misremembering...

Off the top of my head so open to correction, but I think the following are out of contract at the end of the season:

Loughney
Soroka
Andress
Cooney
McCoy
Delahunt
Qualter
Stevenson
Fox-Matamua
Moloney
McKeon
Cooney (confirmed to Ulster)
Crosbie
O'Leary
Farrell
Parata
Ili
Poolman
Leader
Rowland

Then you have the lads graduating from the academy. And yeah no signings but we likely would have had one but for situations outside our control.

This time last year we had just got an uodate confirming the majority of the senior squad who would be departing. Still an awful lot of question marks in the current squad aren't there? And we have 0 confirmed signings as of yet unless I'm misremembering...

Borders no.2 wrote: Without trying to be negative or defeatist, surely with our population, lack of rugby schools etc. that's about as many Irish representatives as we'd expect to have. I think we punched above our weight for a while in that regard but it's going to be very difficult to sustain that.

If you include Athlone, Connacht has about 8.5% of the population of the island, and is providing about 7% of the underage guys. So like you say, well within the margin of error.

Without trying to be negative or defeatist, surely with our population, lack of rugby schools etc. that's about as many Irish representatives as we'd expect to have. I think we punched above our weight for a while in that regard but it's going to be very difficult to sustain that.

wp_rathead wrote:

Mark Mostyn wrote: Not sure if this is the right place for this, but out of the hundred-odd players who have represented (or been named in training squads in the case of the u18 schools team) Ireland from u18 up this year, we have 7:

Cillian Gallagher (Sligo, u20)
Matthew Burke (Corinthians, u20)
Sean Masterson (Corinthians, u19 & u20)
Corey Reid (Marist College, u19)
Niall Murray (St Aloysuis Coll/Buccaneers, u18 Schools & Clubs)
Hugh Lane (Galwegians, u18 Clubs)
Cian Huxford (Corinthians, u18 clubs)

With both Johnson and McPhillips likely out of the JWC, Luke Carty has a decent shout of traveling to Georgia - but I get your overall point, it is a bit worrying

Yeah he'll surely be there or thereabouts along with Conor Fitzgerald, Conor Dean, Ciaran Frawley etc. 90% of the Ireland players under the age of 30 for this year's 6 nations had played u20s (excluding project players obviously) so it's not like there's loads of talent slipping through the net at this level

Sorry to see Rory go, but this might be a bit of a blessing for him. I thought he did well last season and would push on this year, but largely through injury that hasn't happened. A change of scenery will do him well. Might not bring him back to Connacht, but should help his career immensely. Good luck to him and the other two lads.

Mark Mostyn wrote: Not sure if this is the right place for this, but out of the hundred-odd players who have represented (or been named in training squads in the case of the u18 schools team) Ireland from u18 up this year, we have 7:

Cillian Gallagher (Sligo, u20)
Matthew Burke (Corinthians, u20)
Sean Masterson (Corinthians, u19 & u20)
Corey Reid (Marist College, u19)
Niall Murray (St Aloysuis Coll/Buccaneers, u18 Schools & Clubs)
Hugh Lane (Galwegians, u18 Clubs)
Cian Huxford (Corinthians, u18 clubs)

With both Johnson and McPhillips likely out of the JWC, Luke Carty has a decent shout of traveling to Georgia - but I get your overall point, it is a bit worrying

EvoGeo wrote: I don't get why people think these players are lost to us? They are young guys and a year abroad learning and improving themselves as people and players could see them coming back and being much more able to push for a starting position. I think more of the academy youngsters in Ireland should do this if they get the opportunity.

Lost to us because they are being let go. They are not having contracts offered or academy continued, therefore they can go where they like. The chances of them coming back would be remote, personally these decisions are hard and hurt young players. I would not think that they will just arrive back to a club that has in all reality rejected them for not making the progress required.

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but out of the hundred-odd players who have represented (or been named in training squads in the case of the u18 schools team) Ireland from u18 up this year, we have 7:

Cillian Gallagher (Sligo, u20)
Matthew Burke (Corinthians, u20)
Sean Masterson (Corinthians, u19 & u20)
Corey Reid (Marist College, u19)
Niall Murray (St Aloysuis Coll/Buccaneers, u18 Schools & Clubs)
Hugh Lane (Galwegians, u18 Clubs)
Cian Huxford (Corinthians, u18 clubs)

Saw on another forum that we're signing Jordan Conroy, haven't been able to find a reliable source though

Leinster sent a handful of academy and sub academy to New Zealand and oz last season for few months.
For Rory's dad to say they been let go, is worrying. 3 young players with lot of promise.
Fair play and hopefully they learn and push on

EvoGeo wrote: I don't get why people think these players are lost to us? They are young guys and a year abroad learning and improving themselves as people and players could see them coming back and being much more able to push for a starting position. I think more of the academy youngsters in Ireland should do this if they get the opportunity.

With the exception of Dave Gannon I can't think of a single player we released (as opposed to them leaving) that subsequently re-signed with us, so we can be pretty sure it's goodbye from him, and it's goodbye from him. Great to see these lads getting another chance elsewhere though, would love to see one or two of them in Super rugby in a few years like that Jager lad from Leinster.

I don't get why people think these players are lost to us? They are young guys and a year abroad learning and improving themselves as people and players could see them coming back and being much more able to push for a starting position. I think more of the academy youngsters in Ireland should do this if they get the opportunity.

tomsauce2000 wrote: I heard Cian Romaine, Ciaran Gaffney and Rory Parata are all going to New Zealand next year.

I also heard that Eric Elwood is interested in replacing Nigel Carolan as head of the academy.

Judging by Instagram Romaine is already over in new Zealand. Had heard he was dropped alright.