I think you'll find that Gav played more minutes than any other player in the competition. Missed 10 on a card and 13 injured v Aironi.

Leighton wrote: Difficulty in choosing a forward is four/five of them are replaced before the final whistle.

Generally speaking that only applies to Front row consistently, and then usually on of second and back rows less frequently.

Bruce Farley & Mul were freaks as captains in that when fit (which was prety much all of the time for Farls) they pretty much played every minute of every game, Mul had the most minutes on the pitch of any player in the Pro 12 this season...

Difficulty in choosing a forward is four/five of them are replaced before the final whistle.

connachtexile wrote: I think we should follow the Irish model. BOD is Captain and has those diplomatic chats with the ref. The Outhalf is the game manager ROG or Sexton and a pack leader who marshals the forwards like POC.

We could keep Duffy as captain, have the experienced Parks as the game manager and before a game choose Muldoon, Macca or JOC as pack leader.

Agreed! Parks is an experienced International fly half who will be well able to make the crucial decisions next year.

I think we should follow the Irish model. BOD is Captain and has those diplomatic chats with the ref. The Outhalf is the game manager ROG or Sexton and a pack leader who marshals the forwards like POC.

We could keep Duffy as captain, have the experienced Parks as the game manager and before a game choose Muldoon, Macca or JOC as pack leader.

connacht-duffy--fullback
ulster-best-- hooker
munster-POC--lock
leinster-cullen--lock

edinburgh-greg laidlaw-- outhalf
glasgow-Alastair Kellock lock

aironi-Marco Bortolami lock
treviso-Antonio Pavanello lock

scarlets-Matthew Rees-- hooker
cardiff-Paul Tito-- lock
dragons-Ashley Smith--- centre
ospreys-Justin Tipuric-- back row

3 backs
2 hookers
1 back row
6 locks

So if everyone thinks the captain should be in the pack, would they say that to Brian O'Driscoll's face?

Apparently Mul doesn't want to be captain - mainly because of the media aspect. That being the case, I'd go for Macca. Like a lot of people have said, the captain should be in the pack. Also, for whatever reason, Gav just doesn't seem to be able to get on the right side of referees.

I think the naming of Gav as captain this yeaar made him really step up his game. He was more solid then ever and probably had his best season in a Connacht jersey by being named captain. The thing is IMO that he leads by example and as has already been mentioned, as a FB he is too far away from the majority of the action to be as influential as a captain should be. I'd have Macca as captain

If distance is an issue then there are accepted hand signals for decisions. Point to the posts for a kick, touch the tips of your fingers for a scrum etc. You don't need to be right up there all the time.

Maybe for checking with the ref about things, but it's not entirely necessary. Geordan Murphy manages it at Leicester when he captains.

For issues in the forwards get the pack leader to communicate.

Like I said, I'm not a fan of FB's being captain either, but there are solutions to problems.

we spoke of this early season and not much changed since then about gavin so ill repeat myself for those who cant remember my view of it...

when we had a decision to make on the pitch re scrum or kicking for point or down the line, gavin used to run to the ref and outhalf and 90% of the time gav used to stop and run back to full back as the decision or the kick used to be taken before he could get there. wasnt just the out half rushing but there used to be 4 0r 5 players talking to see what to do, hard after the game to see who was at fault if this didnt work out.

also when our scrum goes down or a foul during it, the ref didnt say much afterwards and no player could talk to the ref as they weren't the captain.

also i wouldnt be to happy with JOC being captain, to injury prone and i remember when he was captain last season for a game or two, being few points up, control of the game, we had a pen in front of the posts, we all called for the posts from the main stand, everyone in good voice as we were playing well but not winning by much, lineout didnt work out, match ended up as a draw or loss.

Gav is a great full back , and has had an unreal season. But the problem with the FB being captain is he is to far away from whats happening in the mix of things alot of the time. Also he doesnt seem to be vocal enough or in the refs ear as much as other captains. For me I go with JOC the Mul as vice. Joc doesnt play every game so can be passed to Mul when he doesnt feature. So your not burdening him with the role of captain but know that when Joc isnt playing its in capable hands.

What about Parks , could be a good move puts a little bit of pressure on him, giving the message that your here for your experience leadership etc and just not a cushy few years while your career winds down. Just a thought??

I don't know, George is an incredible operator, but seems quite shy in some respects.

I'm not a fan of full backs being captain, but to be honest this year has been one of Gav's best. He has had one or two moments where he has lost the rag with a ref and that needs to be cut out completely, but all in all this season has been very good for him.

If this year had been a disaster for Gavin and the team I'd see the need for change, but right now I can't honestly say changing the captain is something that would be on my list of things to aid improvement next year. It's a bit of a non-issue IMO.

of the candidates mentioned i agree with George from the pack. he appears the sensible choice and as the 8 he is in the right position to control the pack and the half backs on the crucial decisions.

If Nathan White delivers as I expect he will I'd look towards him in 2013/14. I'd go with John Muldoon or George Naoupu for next season. For me its an issue but its up to the team as a whole to take responsibility.

Its a cliche but we have to have 15 captains on the pitch and common sense has to be used.

I harp back to the option to take a scrum (which was marginally on top, nowhere near penalty try opportunity) at home to Munster when we had the chance to push the lead out to 10 points which was the least we deserved for our dominance, instead 2/3 minutes later we were behind our sticks back level when we should have been in control of the game. Thats not being wise in hindsight I think the vast majority of Connacht Supporters knew at the time we were shooting ourselves in the foot with that decision.

There were many other stages during the season when cool heads were required but weren't forthcoming, hopefully the experience of the new signings will help in this regard.

I think Duffy did well this year but i think it is a forward who should be the captain.
George in my opinion should get it.He was outstanding the first season and he came back to that form in the latter of this season.He is a big imposing fella and im sure he would get the backing of all the players.