There is no doubt that Connacht's general competitiveness over the last 15 years has risen exponentially compared to the earliest days of professionalism.
A few great Challenge Cup crusades aside, the zenith was unquestionably Murrayfield in May 2016. With that in mind it is difficult not to be fixated on recent players when picking a greatest Connacht XV of the professional era.
After an extensive trawl through the archives we think we’ve managed to come up with a list of candidates that adequately represents the Westerners over the last quarter century of professionalism.
We start with the back three.
Full-back
We have been selecting three candidates per position to date but in this instance two men have practically owned the jersey since the early noughties – Gavin Duffy and Tiernan O’Halloran.
Both were schoolboy stars, both are home-grown and both are amongst the top statistical performers ever for the province in a number of categories.
Somewhat surprisingly, O’Halloran actually has more appearances and scored more points.
Both are also important symbolically. Duffy got capped for Ireland at a time when few Connacht players were achieving international recognition, while O’Halloran was one of a new breed of young indigenous players who resisted the lure of other clubs and provinces.
Very hard to separate, it seems the fairest solution is to pick Duffy and allow O’Halloran to be considered on the wing.
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RTÉ SELECTION
15. Gavin Duffy
Wing
So with Tiernan O’Halloran already confirmed as a contender the remaining five slots go to Matt Healy, Fionn Carr, Matt Mostyn, Conor McPhillips and Niyi Adeolokun.
Darragh Fanning and stalwarts Willie Ruane and Nigel Carolan lose out narrowly but the track records of the chosen six speak for themselves.
Healy’s form in 2015/16 alone brings him close to inclusion. His versatility and position as the province’s record tryscorer cements his case.
For me the last spot is a straight shootout between O'Halloran and Carr. For longevity and achievement my vote goes to Tiernan.
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14. Tiernan O’Halloran
11. Matt Healy
