Andy Wood has said departures from his Clontarf team will allow a new generation of players to step up to the mark in the Ulster Bank All-Ireland League.
Clontarf begin their defence of the AIL title they dramatically won on the last day of last season against Young Munster on Saturday.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, Wood said “All the eyes are inevitably on this weekend, and how the squad is shaping up. Lads want to get the jersey on their back and get out and have a run around.”
For the first time since 2011, there will be a play-off stage after the regular season is complete, with the final being played at Aviva Stadium on 9 May, 2015.
Wood suggested that this play-off, and an earlier than usual start to the season, presented challenges for players across the AIL.
“[Pre-season] has been tough because it’s been shortened,” he said. “It’s traditionally towards the end of this month, and then obviously three years ago it would have been middle of October.
“So it’s come back; lads are back earlier, and probably into contact a bit earlier. So I’d say there a few lads nursing a few injuries around the country coming into the start of the AIL.”
“A lot of the lads this year, with a few changes, some of them don’t feel they’ve been a full part of [winning] it"
Wood also said that Clontarf were expecting to be without the services of a number of players as a result of their success last season.
“The AIL, for me, is a good breeding ground for guys who might be on the fringe of the academies or fringe of a professional contract,” he said.
With Mick McGrath and Brian Byrne involved with Leinster; Max McFarland having moved to Edinburgh and Tadhg Furlong and Mick Kearney involved with Connacht, it will be a much-changed Clontarf team that aims to defend their title.
“I doubt we’ll see a lot of those lads this year, but for the right reasons,” Woodsaid. “It just creates opportunities for other lads."
Clontarf have also seen a number of players retire, but Wood is relaxed about what this means for the team.
"The good thing about last year was that there was competition for places. Lads recognised the quality of guys like Mick, and that he was – let’s face it – he was probably the best winger in AIL rugby last year; top try-scorer for the past two years," he said.
"There are guys who have been biding their time, and working away, and improving on their game. Look, it’s an opportunity for someone else to come up this year and try and dominate the way Mick did."
He said winning back-to-back titles would be a challenge for Clontarf, but that new faces in the team would be hungry to make their mark.
"A lot of the lads this year, with a few changes, some of them don’t feel they’ve been a full part of it, perhaps," he said.
"So it’s a fresh year, it’s a blank piece of paper, if you will. Lads want to win it in their own right."
Wood said the re-introduction of the play-offs would be exciting, and presented another challenge, particularly given Clontarf’s unfortunate history in the format.
"The lads recognise it would be something special to win with Clontarf going through a play-off system," he added.
