IN TO HIS 13th season, only a bout of bad luck will slow Connacht captain John Muldoon now.
The Galway native, branded ‘The Ultimate Connacht Man’ by head coach Pat Lam last season, has less than 12 months to run on his existing contract. But at 32, retirement considerations remain a non-starter.
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“Pat actually told me last year he was going to look after me: ‘Oh, we won’t be playing you as much.’ And then I played 29 out of 30 games. So we’ll see how that goes this year.”
Muldoon’s own mind and body will decide when to hang up the boots, but checking in with others on that track never hurts.
On the contrary in fact. Though Muldoon and last year’s captain of Pro12 champions Glasgow Warriors were born just 17 months apart, he found their perspective on rugby worlds apart.
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“I was talking to Ali Kellock towards the end of last year and he was saying he wasn’t enjoying it any more. The body had had enough and he couldn’t wait for the season to finish.
“His body couldn’t wait, mentally he was ready to give up. While he was saying that, I was sitting there thinking the complete opposite. in a way, it was refreshing to hear him say that when I had a bit of hunger and fight left in me,” the flanker told The42.
I’m enjoying it, my body’s good. I’ve been quite fortunate throughout my career that I haven’t had an awful lot of big injuries. The hunger’s still there, and as long as the hunger’s there, I’ll keep playing on.
“As of now, I’ll be looking to play on next year. Things can change very quickly, but as long as the body holds up and everything’s alright, I’ll be looking forward to playing for Connacht next year and beyond.”
'As long as the hunger is there, I'll keep playing on' -- John Muldoon
IN TO HIS 13th season, only a bout of bad luck will slow Connacht captain John Muldoon now.
The Galway native, branded ‘The Ultimate Connacht Man’ by head coach Pat Lam last season, has less than 12 months to run on his existing contract. But at 32, retirement considerations remain a non-starter.
“Pat actually told me last year he was going to look after me: ‘Oh, we won’t be playing you as much.’ And then I played 29 out of 30 games. So we’ll see how that goes this year.”
Muldoon’s own mind and body will decide when to hang up the boots, but checking in with others on that track never hurts.
On the contrary in fact. Though Muldoon and last year’s captain of Pro12 champions Glasgow Warriors were born just 17 months apart, he found their perspective on rugby worlds apart.
“I was talking to Ali Kellock towards the end of last year and he was saying he wasn’t enjoying it any more. The body had had enough and he couldn’t wait for the season to finish.
“His body couldn’t wait, mentally he was ready to give up. While he was saying that, I was sitting there thinking the complete opposite. in a way, it was refreshing to hear him say that when I had a bit of hunger and fight left in me,” the flanker told The42.
“As of now, I’ll be looking to play on next year. Things can change very quickly, but as long as the body holds up and everything’s alright, I’ll be looking forward to playing for Connacht next year and beyond.”
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best in the west Blindside Connacht flanker John Muldoon no end in sight Pro12 ultimate connacht man