MIKE McCARTHYโS DECISION to move from Connacht to Leinster is more than just a case of losing an important player, according to Connacht CEO Tom Sears.
The second row will make the move east at the end of this season to fill a position which has long been a weak link for the back-to-back European champions in a move which has irked the westerners.
โWe made Mike an exceptionally good offer and we know he found it a very hard decision,โ Sears told Newstalkโs Off The Ball this evening.
โHe has been very open and weโve had excellent dialogue. But eventually, after repeat approaches, his head has been turned and thatโs a huge disappointment for us.โ
Sears insisted that he and his club were โnot naive enoughโ to believe that an out of contract player would always shun the advances of a bigger, more successful organisation.
However, in an impassioned interview, he reaffirmed his stance that it would be to the benefit of the game in this country in the long run if Connacht were better equipped to retain top-bracket internationals such as McCarthy. Not only for the benefit he brings to the team on the field, but what he is capable of representing.
Beacon
โWeโve got a responsibility to develop Irish rugby. Mike has come through our system, weโve developed him as a player.
โHe wasnโt on the radar of Leinster when we picked him up. He has developed into an Irish international. We wanted him to be the beacon for all our young players to see that a guy can come through and represent Ireland.
โWeโve got a great calibre of players coming through our academy system and we want good players around those youngsters. If we lose players like Mike and players that have gone before then itโs going to be very difficult.โ
Sears stuck by his assertion that the move is bad for Irish rugby as it will force Connachtโs hand in recruiting overseas, โbecause there is not another Irish lock as good as Mike McCarthy.โ
He also lamented the current contracting structure which gives the western province more budget constraints over personnel than if they housed a stable of Irish internationals.
โWe donโt compete on even footing as the other provinces. We donโt have the financial muscle they do, we donโt have players on national contracts which frees up more money.
โIt would have been nice if Mike McCarthy could have got a national contract. What a message it would have given to young players coming through our province: that they can come through and win a national contract and see whatโs achievable.โ
Listen back to the full interview in the second part of tonightโs Off The Ball show here.
Hard to agree with him, Muldoon is a fabulous player and has been wonderfully loyal to the province
I think if heโd gone to one of the other 3 provinces heโd be sitting on a lot more Ireland caps.
The mindset of the IRFU towards them is wrong and unhelpful
what are the odds McCarthy gets a national contract now
Not likely to be honest, there isnโt even 15 players centrally contracted anymore.
Feck the IRFU, and there short-sited attitude not giving him a central contract. McSharry, Henshaw, Mariom, Buckley and Harris-Wright could all be capped for Ireland, Connacht should be given equal rights and opportunity to hold on to these players. Maybe they could take a case to the Court of arbitration in Switzerland if this blatant disregard the IRFU have of representing the โ4thโ province continues.