Breifne wrote: I know this will put me at risk of being hanged here, but Swifty's best days are behind him. I know, I know...he's a Connacht legend, but to be honest, he's looked poor out there for most of this season. I think Mick Kearney has more to offer in the second row at this stage.

Hard to say because he's being rushed back into the starting XV as soon as he gets a green lght to play, most clubs use there second strings to bring players back up to speed and the AIL is on hiatus this time of year so he's gone into this one cold just as he came back in from injury earlier in the season.

There are too many players getting knock's and being rushed back into action, like Ray Ofisa who is as tough as nails yet you can be damn sure that when he goes off with an injury he's taken a proper knock yet he's rushed back like today before he's fully fit with a resultant below par performance.....

I know this will put me at risk of being hanged here, but Swifty's best days are behind him. I know, I know...he's a Connacht legend, but to be honest, he's looked poor out there for most of this season. I think Mick Kearney has more to offer in the second row at this stage.

My wishlist:

Need #1: Outhalf
Some say that tighthead prop is our biggest need. While it's unquestionably a big issue, what we need more is a goalkicking outhalf. How many games have been lost by 10 or fewer points? Mat Berquist, Dan Parks or Jimmy Gopperth would do nicely. None are world beaters but all will keep the scoreboard ticking over which is more than can be said for the motley crew we currently have. Berquist is only on a one year deal with Leinster and can become eligible to play for Ireland so he gets my vote.

Need #2: Tighthead prop
We badly need somebody who can anchor a scrum. Nathan White has captaincy experience in New Zealand and can lock a scrum. He signed a short term deal with Leinster and I'm sure he'd be open to a two year contract here if he was named as the starting number 3.

Need #3: Scrumhalf
Peter Stringer is down the pecking order at Munster but obviously thinks he still has something to offer otherwise he wouldn't have moved to Saracens on loan. A one year deal to finish out his career and an opportunity to mentor Paul O'Donohoe, Dave Moore and Kieran Marmion could be to good an offer for him to refuse.

Need #4: Backs coach
Billy Millard has singularly failed to get any sort of decent performances out of any of our scrum halves and outhalves. Others like Vainikolo and Fa'afili have some pedigree but aren't showing it. We already knew the quality Eoin Griffin and Tiernan O'Halloran possessed so the coach can't take much credit for their rise. Only Dave McSharry has noticably improved. I think we need a new backs coach with innovative ideas. Don't ask me who though!

Need #5: Winger
Tuohy, Vainikolo and McCrea don't cut it. Either bring somebody like Luke O'Dea, Andrew Conway or Fionn Carr in or promote Shane Layden now and see what he can do.

I think we're two positions, an outhalf and a tighthead prop, away from being a mid table Pro 12 team. With four or five new players we could be an upper mid table team in with a shot of making the playoffs in a good year. Whatever happens we need to recruit an awful lot better than we have done over the last two summers.

Porterbelly wrote: 4 + 1 comes in next season

The other rules come in in 2013/1014

point taken, wasnt 100% on it, but knew it was something like that alright.

swift4prez wrote: tg4 said that we can sign 15 internationals if we want. so no niq rule apply.

Not sure what you mean. We can sign internationals, but that's different to nie. We don't follow the five plus one rule, we have six plus one, but we are still bound by that. We can't have more, and that might be reduced next year.

tg4 said that we can sign 15 internationals if we want. so no niq rule apply.

4 + 1 comes in next season

The other rules come in in 2013/1014

Yes you have it arse ways.

Next season 4plus 1niq rule will apply

New niq recruits must be position specific
No two niqs can be recruited for the same playing position eg: only one of the 3 provinces can have an niq th on the books.
No niq players can be offered a contract renewal

I don't expect that this plan will get through without major adjustments. Particularly the resigning element.

ummm, wrote:

Funk It wrote: I think the worst thing that could happen is another big turn over of players during the summer (worst case is if not holding onto players such as Jarvis who require new contracts), with everyone back from their injuries, add a few more "top" players to the list and we would have a great chance of challenging for heineken cup qualification. But these things dont just happen and require work. Another major fact is how Ulster will be affected by the new rule of only having 1 NIQ player in their squad.

Why do you think Ulster would only have one NIQ player?

Whenever the new IRFU ruling comes into play, aren't munster, leinster and ulster only allowed to have 1 NIQ spot on their books? Thats my thinking of it, dont know when the lads they have at the moment are out of contract, but they wont be allowed to renew them. Unless I have this complete a*se-ways.

I must admit, Eric would want to have had a crystal ball to see how many injuries we have picked up since he has taken charge.

this year our recruitment has to be exact. we are strong in backrow and centre. we do not sign another one. we are weak in front row. first person on shopping list has to be TH and if that takes majority of our budget so be it, but it is essential

I agree with this. No point having a great backline and not being able to give them a great platform.

As for Damien Browne there's no way he's coming back. Leinster have very few 2nd rows so will want to hold onto him. I'd like to see us cut Henry F. and give Macken or Sheridan a shot if they were willing to come.

Funk It wrote: I think the worst thing that could happen is another big turn over of players during the summer (worst case is if not holding onto players such as Jarvis who require new contracts), with everyone back from their injuries, add a few more "top" players to the list and we would have a great chance of challenging for heineken cup qualification. But these things dont just happen and require work. Another major fact is how Ulster will be affected by the new rule of only having 1 NIQ player in their squad.

Why do you think Ulster would only have one NIQ player?

This NIQ is great in writing but I feel it may not work in practice. As soon as it comes out you have the majority of people against it straight away which is problem number one. It has very little benefit to the coaches and for something liek this to work both parties have to benefit.

Things are going to change, and the more players we lock into 2 year contracts in the next few weeks the better.

I think the worst thing that could happen is another big turn over of players during the summer (worst case is if not holding onto players such as Jarvis who require new contracts), with everyone back from their injuries, add a few more "top" players to the list and we would have a great chance of challenging for heineken cup qualification. But these things dont just happen and require work. Another major fact is how Ulster will be affected by the new rule of only having 1 NIQ player in their squad.

I also feel we are building a squad and am only delighted. I just hope coaches have enough faith in squad players which at this point i do not feel that they do

Funk It wrote: the previous year we had a lack of cover in the backrow, seem to be trying to fix previous wrongs, which means that we are always a step behind i suppose, but we can see a squad coming together, and a very good one at that

I still feel that last year we had other areas that were more important then backrow. We had Ray, Joc, Mul. We needed George but had youth coming through in the form of Conneely x 2 and mc keon.

Although Grace and anderson were good players i feel our squad would have benefited more from signings in other positions

I agree, you can see a decent squad coming together, I would like to see a "name" with "experience" such as stringer or cullen to bring a bit of "guile" along with the young lads