FOLLOWING A STRONG showing at this summer’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Ireland Senior Men’s Hockey team are back in international hockey’s topflight, having been invited to participate in the upcoming FIH Pro League.
Ireland is the ninth and final team to be confirmed in the Men’s competition for Season 6.
There is a slice of good fortune in that Ireland were relegated last year, but New Zealand have declined to be involved this year.
Ireland will compete against the eight best teams in the World including Olympic Gold medallists The Netherlands, Olympic Silver medallists Germany, Olympic bronze medallists India, and last season’s Pro League winners Australia.
The 2024/25 Pro League season will get underway in November and Ireland will play their first fixtures in December in Argentina.
This is exactly the problem that I knew would happen when the IRFU announced their “progressive” policy of limiting the number of players in each position. Connacht were (despite the assertions of some) the club that made McCarthy into what he is today. He played in the backrow before Connacht and McFarland was instrumental in honing his game. Now, as he approaches his prime, he is moved to Leinster because Leinster are not allowed to buy in foreign players.
Connacht on the other hand ARE allowed to go after a quality foreign lock, but in all likelihood we would not be able to afford one of Macca’s quality. Instead we will get more youth to develop. We don’t need more youth. We have enough already and we need leaders.
Furthermore what other players will be caught in this trap? If Leinster cannot develop Macken sufficiently they will come for Griffin? If Ulster want to replace Trimble in a couple of years will they be after O’Halloran? All of this is justifiable now because of the limiting of foreign players in each position.
This has a very negative impact on Connacht, who lose every time one of these moves occur. In return for a star player we get another “talent”, or must promote our academy players, who may or may not make the grade. The opportunity for developing a really competitive Connacht is seriously handicapped by this policy, because we cannot afford to buy foreign players and the rest of the provinces are not allowed so they take Connacht players instead.
You’ve got to feel for Connacht though – developing and losing so many good players. They really deserve to be more than a nursery team.
Fair? Fair for who? Mike – certainly. All the best to him. he deserves his shot at silverwear. Fair on Leinster? Yes. Fair on Connacht? Not at all.
You say there will b horse trading. And there will. But the Galwaymen will not get a like for like replacement. You mention Jordi. The IRFU cannot force him to go.
Fair would have been to offer Mike significantly more dosh to stay at Connacht and if he still chose to leave so be it. But he wasn’t..he was apparently offered the same terms to stay… which would you do?
It would be down to Connacht to make the offer for him to stay, as he’s not on an IRFU contract as far as I’m aware.
Just as you say with Jordi Murphy, the IRFU can’t make McCarthy stay.
He’s a pro sportsman who sees that Connacht are unlikely to be in the HEC next year and sees he’ll be guaranteed a starting spot in one of the best teams in Europe, with a further chance to cement his Ireland place, coming into what may be the last contract of his career.
It’s a no brainer for a pro sportsman, and pro sports has very little to do with ‘fairness’.
I do agree that it’s hard on Connacht, but this incident, take in isolation as it should be (rather than used as a political drum as by Sears) is fairly simple to understand.
@Shane. I agree. But the IRFU are the paymasters. What if they offered him a central contract to stay? He’d get more money to stay then leave. If he still chose to leave that would be fair. Mikes 100% right to do what he’s doing.
Would have been nice to see the IRFU at least try and level the pitch. :-)
I agree, I wouldn’t be of the opinion that this move should have happened at all, however it is logical for McCarthy, and the spin put on it by Connacht is very OTT, especially when you consider what Leinster have done for Connacht in the past two years.
I would expect that both the IRFU and Leinster are furious with the release put out this morning, which was completely unnecessary.
Honestly the current rules regarding the use of foreign players by the province only really served to make this an inevitability. Leinster have been looking to nail down a good #5 for a few years now and it was just a matter of time before they set their sights on one of their provincial rivals – and that pretty much meant either McCarthy, Tuohy or Ryan.
You can’t really hold it against the Leinster management for making the move though, McCarthy has impressed in the last few months and Schmidt and co arent in any way beholden to Connacht or their fans to always act in their best interests. At the end of the day, they’re working for Leinster and will want to do their best for Leinster rather than Irish rugby as a whole.
Sadly the IRFU seem to view them as a feeder club, but yet they still moan and threaten to wind them up due to low gates, costs to keep them going etc
What the hell do they expect to happen if they allow them to keep getting raped their players once he has a few good months !
why would you want to move to leinster? look a cronin and Carr. playing rabo with leinster and on the bench for the heinekin cup. if they stayed in connacht they be playing heinekin cup and be able to show their skill at a much higher level.
Cronin started in Clermont at the weekend and was playing well… Strauss came on and had a nightmare at the lineout. Cronin also scored a very important try against Montpellier last season in the opening H Cup game away in France. 16-16 draw that day…. There is lots of game time for Cronin and Strauss to share…. Carr on the other hand has never shone and has had too many competitors for his position…
Carr is not really a valid option. He went to Leinster looking for them to take him rather than the other way around. Connacht offered him a 3 year deal but he wanted only a 1 year deal. Connacht did not want that level of uncertainty so said no.
Connachts reaction here has been OTT. If it hadn’t of been for Leinster winning the Heineken cup. Connacht would not be playing at this level. Mike McCarthy is entitled to ply his profession wherever he wishes.
Of course he is, it’s just that it’s a pity for Connacht to develop good players only to lose them to the “big boys.”
Listening to yourself and Shane wud lead somebody to believe that Leinster won the Heineken Cup just so Connacht cud play in the tournament! :) … We are grateful to that we qualified on the back of Leinster’s outstanding achievement though. Best of luck to Macca – his boots will be hard to fill! He is just another in a long line of players that have improved their game out West before going on to successful careers – its just a pity the IRFU, Munster, & Leinster don’t acknowledge the big contribution we make to the Irish game! Reddan, Downey, Jackman, Flannery are just a few players that made names for themselves at Connacht. Look back thru the last 5 Heineken Cup final squads & you’ll count 10 ex-Connacht players … where wud we be if IRFU funded us so they cud have stayed on?!? As a long-suffering Connacht supporter, I’d find it a little easier to live with the Development Squad status if the rest of the country acknowledged our contributions now and again. We’ll hopefully continue to punch above our weight and develop young Connacht & Irish players. Even though our neighbours forget that Connacht have a proud European record, we won’t (1st Irish province to win away in France and in England… we were the only team with 100% record in Europe at end of pool stages a couple of seasons ago)… Biarritz found this out the hard way!
Congratulations to Mike. I’d hate to loose Jordi Murphy though. He is a great prospect.
Great piece, I would take issue at the line about ‘recent examples of Leinster snapping up Fionn Carr, Sean Cronin and Isaac Boss’, though I presume this is facetiousness Sean?
Good point Shane, do you have a blog?
Shame on the IRFU, Connacht were just starting to really look like a decent squad of players and to lose Mc Carthy will be a bitter blow not to mention other players like Carr, keatley, Cronin.. Connacht are doomed if this poaching does not stop!
I agree Shane, particularly in light of the fact that Fionn Carr was initially developed by the Leinster academy.
Carr was out of contract when Connacht signed him. Not an academy player, not a fringe player, not an established player… Out of contract. Leinster did not want him.