ALL HAIL THE super sub! They may never get the full credit they deserve but any player who regularly comes off the bench to provide a positive impact for their team occupies a special place in the fans’ hearts.
2015 saw a number of players perform well in supporting roles, as well as a few people who we thought deserved a bit more game-time than they got.
Here are five men who we think should get more of a starting role in 2016.
Kevin McManamon
In fairness to Jim Gavin, McManamon does tend to play better when coming in off the bench against tired legs but has he not done enough to show that he should be in from minute one?
The pacy forward scored key goals in both semi-final clashes with Mayo – to add to his many championship strikes off the bench – and given Dean Rock’s lackluster summer, McManamon could well be in the first 15 when the league kicks off.
Shane Long
For an established striker, Long probably doesn’t score enough goals but for an Irish team short on firepower, he simply has to be in the first team. Long netted massive goals at home to Poland and Germany to help Ireland into a playoff for Euro 2016 and his speed offers a different route to goal than targetman Daryl Murphy.
With Robbie Keane winding down, this summer’s European Championship in France should be Long’s chance to finally nail down a starting position.
Tommy Walsh
Walsh hardly knocked down the door of the Kerry starting team after returning from a stint in Aussie Rules, but it would have been interesting to see how he would have re-integrated into the side with more game-time.
His former forward partner Kieran Donaghy is still going strong and Walsh showed in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Kildare that his high fielding has improved during his time away.
With another year of Gaelic football behind him, Walsh should be ready for a bigger role with Kerry this year.
Jack McGrath
McGrath starts a lot of games but when he and rival Cian Healy are both fit, it is the former that tends to end up on the bench. However, towards the tail end of 2015 Healy’s form dropped and McGrath played some of his best rugby.
Particularly, his carrying has improved to such an extent that Healy’s explosiveness isn’t missed quite as much. McGrath will be a serious contender to start Ireland’s Six Nations opener in February.
Darren Randolph
The West Ham back-up goalkeeper was heroic for Ireland after coming on for the injured Shay Given against Germany, conceding just three goals in four games against the strong attacks of the world champions, Poland and Bosnia Herzegovina. Randolph pulled off a string of classy saves and looked far more assured than Given between the posts.
Given how he finished the qualifying campaign, Randolph definitely deserves to keep his place for Euro 2016.
I’d Deffo have Gustard
If swap a kidney ( no pun intended) for any of them to coach Leinster
Truth is the local indigenous coaches are a cheaper option.
For me (a kiwi) Wayne Smith is the unsung hero of the last 10 years of All Black success. He was the assistant coach at the previously underperformed Chiefs since 2011 where he helped take them to 2 Super Rugby titles. He is known there as “the Nutty Proffessor.” He unnecessary fell on his sword after having only average success as All Blacks head coach but then had the tenacity and dignity to become assistant coach to Graham Henry and then Steve Hansen. All up a top bloke who has done amazing things with the All Blacks under circumstances where most would just turn their back on their team (and country) and take a well paid job in Europe. I was sooooo pleased when he made himself unavailable for the recent England vacancy.
#bringbackjono
You may argue that MOC’s relatively OK first season was down to presence of Jonno Gibbes and that his relatively poor second season was down to Gibbes’s absence.
You could equally well argue that MOC initially enjoyed a Joe Schmidt inheritance that diminished as time passed and Joe’s good practices were replaced by MOC’s not so good ones.
It seems to me that effective coaching takes considerable time to bed in. Leo’s biggest problem at Leinster this year is that he was bequeathed MOC’s weak inheritance. Seen in that light, and looking at the Pro-12 table, I think
Leo is doing a pretty good job.
Only time will tell whether Leo can make Leinster a cup contender at European level again. I expect Leinster will improve under him. But whether that improvement can catch up with the weight of money favouring French & English teams remains to be seen.
Leinster need to sign a top quality marquee overseas player (ideally utility back or wing), who they play in most big games.
Its utterly ridiculous to have Kirchner on the bench week after week. The objective is to win games, & you can’t do that with your overseas player on the bench.
That’s the tradeoff. If Kirchner is indeed not good enough to get his starting place (ahead of McFadden, D Kearney ???), then send him home & sign an overseas player who will not only start, but turn games, & help Leinster beat teams, & progress.
Otherwise don’t complain that the provinces keep losing but we have a great setup to feed the national team, where we might just yet again win the 6N Championship on points difference…