Ireland

leinster_goy says...

@Bones7 i'm a massive fan of Fitzy (obviously, because he plays for Leinster), and he's one of the most talented wingers we have produced in the last 10 years - at his best, he ranks right up there with Shaggy and Denny Hicks. however, it seems to me that Luke has been trying to drive a hard bargain throughout these negotiations with, admittedly, insufficient bargaining power behind him - in other words, by virtue of an injury-ravaged two years and the related dip in his form whenever fitness was regained, he was never in a strong position to play hardball with the IRFU

contrast this with the contract negotiations 18 months ago between the IRFU and Sexyboy, who briefly (but effectively) floated the possibility in the media of a move to france. the IRFU acquiesced to his demands quicker than a rat up a drainpipe. why was Sexto able to do this? because he has been hands down the best fly-half in the NH for the past 3 years and the IRFU could not afford to lose him. that's called bargaining power. and Luke does not have a tenth of that at the moment

Fitzy's tactics have backfired on him totally. i would normally put this down to an overzealous agent but i have heard from friends of friends of his that Luke the Lion is, in general, a bit of an arse. perhaps it's his own arrogance and detachment from reality that has got him into this mess. it's a shame really, because he's a fantastic player. but unless he's realistic about his future prospects then the exit door is the only option, though it pains me to contemplate that

p.s. a bit harsh on Roux and Goodman. i've heard from a few western province fans that Roux has great promise. and Goodman might not be a household name but all we want is a reliable squad player to fill in at center/full-back on rainy pro12 nights during international tests. its very doubtful that these guys will be first-teamers

Posted 14:11 17th July 2012

leinster_goy says...

even if Goodman is only itm level, it's still a good signing. all we need is a utility player to cover across the backline due to injuries to Fitzy, Mallers, Kearns the Younger, as well as the inevitable international absences and "player welfare" BS. i don't see how this would impact negatively on Madders - he is now established as Sexyboy's understudy at 10 and i can't see Goodman dislodging him there, particularly as he's only on a one-year deal

on the whole, this is shrewd business by Schmidty. we already have the best squad in the NH so i don't think any other additions are necessary

Posted 10:56 13th July 2012

Norm says...

Curates egg

another possibility is that after a horrendous succession of injuries the guy is hoping for a year at full pelt after which talk of paycuts will be long forgotten and the IRFU may be left feeling that they should have stuck through a period with Fitzgerald. They have done so for lesser players!

Posted 09:36 12th July 2012

curates_egg says...

You would have to wonder if it was his side that only asked for a one year contract - very short.

If he fails to get a central contract next year, I guess the logic would be that he will be more free to negotiate with clubs outside Ireland.

Posted 17:30 11th July 2012