FB for ireland

twinytwo · 20-11-2008 11:32am #1

Who is the better Fb for ireland..

Taking into account current form and over all skill required to play FB

anonymous_joe · 20-11-2008 11:39am

Attacking wise - Murphy, no questioning.

Defensively - Dempsey, one of the best readers of the game I'veever had the privilege to see.

Under the high ball - Dempsey or Kearney, with Kearney the more spectacular.

As a post script - Kearney's a superb player, and will undoubtedly be Ireland's full back for a long time. Hopefully he can manage a career as long as Dempsey was granted. Right now, he's good enough to hold onto a place as a winger with little competition. Moreover, his talent under the high ball and his superb kicking are lamentably, ideal for the way the game has gone in the past few months.

Relevant · 20-11-2008 11:45am

Has to be kearney. Girv is still solid as a rock but I find his skills become a bit obselete when Kearney is playing on the wing as he assumes a slightly full back-esque role.

Kearney to FB and Earls to the wing.

Serenity Now! · 20-11-2008 11:46am

Relevant wrote: »

Has to be kearney. Girv is still solid as a rock but I find his skills become a bit obselete when Kearney is playing on the wing as he assumes a slightly full back-esque role.

Kearney to FB and Earls to the wing.

Earls won't start.

crisco10 · 20-11-2008 11:48am

i think the Kearney. As mentioned before his skill set suits the new style very well. Which could actually be used as argument for him on the wing...more kickers/catchers etc..

Still the best full back at our disposal. Murphy is too much of a liability in this ultra safe territory dominated game me thinks. Then again, if he could do what he did against wales in the millenium stadium in 06 :eek: more frequently, he would be brillliant.

twinytwo · 20-11-2008 12:54pm

Relevant wrote: »

Has to be kearney. Girv is still solid as a rock but I find his skills become a bit obselete when Kearney is playing on the wing as he assumes a slightly full back-esque role.

Kearney to FB and Earls to the wing.

Here Here.... Any munster fan knows what Earls is capable of doing

Relevant · 20-11-2008 1:03pm

Believe it or not I am a leinster man calling for Girv to be dropped for Earls. Although the argument should be put on hold until we see how murphy gets on this saturday

bamboozle · 20-11-2008 1:04pm

Well murphy gets the nod for saturday.

to be honest Earls put a blot on his formbook with his peformance against Moutubaun.
long term it has to be Kearney's jersey to lose. he deserved to start there against canada.

crisco10 · 20-11-2008 3:06pm

ironic that despite everybody being sure that Kearney is a pretty good full back that he has not been picked there at all in the AI's.
3 different full backs, not one of them kearney. But he is also the only one to have started more than one match out of earls, dempsey, murphy and himself. Interesting...

anonymous_joe · 20-11-2008 3:36pm

In fairness, most international full backs spend a fair bit of their younger days on the wings.

dub_skav · 20-11-2008 4:00pm

anonymous_joe wrote: »

In fairness, most international full backs spend a fair bit of their younger days on the wings.

Very true, Dempsey for example

anonymous_joe · 20-11-2008 4:20pm

dub_skav wrote: »

Very true, Dempsey for example

Murphy too iirc.

Sparky14 · 20-11-2008 4:28pm

Haven't seen much of the Argies since the World Cup. Are they still using the kicking pressure game they used under Loffreda? We must be planning to run alot of ball back through Murphy.

Podge_irl · 20-11-2008 7:22pm

I would be of the opinion that Kearney is the best bet, though Dempsey has been playing superbly there for Leinster (his outing against the All Blacks was unfortunately not quite so good).

I have precisely zero time for Murphy - he has been at fault for far far far too many tries Ireland have conceeded and while he may have attacking flair, he is reasonably useless going into contact and quite often turns over the ball, which negates his supposedly fantastic attacking skills quite a bit.

the hoff · 20-11-2008 7:50pm

As far as im concerned its a no brainer...got to be kearney! Dempsey is solid defensively but provides nothing going forward, also he's 33 so won't be around come the next WC so in a position where we have an abundance of riches whats the point in keeping him in the set up! As for Murphy has also been a player of immense talent and has shown it over and again for leicster thro the years but has never really done it for Ireland. Also defensively frail, which is a weakness you can't really tolerate at FB and also at 30 he prob won't be around come the next WC

Stev_o · 20-11-2008 7:58pm

Kearney is on form.......?started the season on the bench then the wing has offered nothing terribly exciting. Seriously until he starts playing matches at FB for Leinster again then we can say he's the best FB we got but at the moment he's not Murphy and Girve are ahead of him and Murphy deserves his chance this weekend he's been playing great this season.

madds · 21-11-2008 12:25am

Kearney for me. Sure he's made mistakes but I've seen no one better under the high ball and he has a hell of a left peg on him. He's not bad with ball in hand either. If he's not installed as Leinster's FB by the end of this season he'll have it by the start of next season. Give him a regular run in the #15 jersey now I say.

[Jackass] · 21-11-2008 12:28am

Kearney is hands down the best full back in the country.

But you could have included Earls and Fitz (his favourite position) in that poll too.

Those are 5 fairly decent options to have for 1 position!! We won't be short of quality at FB anyway, that's for sure.

[Edit] Also surprised at the moment Dempsey is behind Murphy. I rate Murphy, but can be very suspect in defence at times, and Dempsey is as solid a full back as you'll see anywhere and (as I always say) highly underrated in attack. If he sees space he makes the yards, I've seen him do it more than ever this season in a very impressive fashion (hence holding Kearney out of his best position and keeping Horgan out of the team at Leinster - And don't ask where Nacewa is going to go when he comes back!!) if there's no space he will place a good kick down the line into touch or punt a garryowen into the sky that he has a good recovery ratio (I'd imagine) from. Although no one is better at that than Kearney.

Nukem · 21-11-2008 1:40am

Kearney,Kearney,em......................Kearney

Utterly impressed with him on the tour down under and when given the chance in the 6 nations last year. Its a no brainer in my opinion.

Just to add fuel for thought, we were under the impression that GM was instructed to play a certain way under EOS. Do we think that Kids will do the same? Or will he say to GM "play the way you do at Leicester and you'll do fine"

twinytwo · 21-11-2008 9:32am

Nukem wrote: »

Kearney,Kearney,em......................Kearney

Utterly impressed with him on the tour down under and when given the chance in the 6 nations last year. Its a no brainer in my opinion.

Just to add fuel for thought, we were under the impression that GM was instructed to play a certain way under EOS. Do we think that Kids will do the same? Or will he say to GM "play the way you do at Leicester and you'll do fine"

It put a restraint on a player like that is a bit daft is it not?

RichTea · 21-11-2008 12:35pm

Murphy or Kearney all the way really. Kearney shouldn't be out on the wing and Girve should most certainly never be anywhere near a starting Irish XV now.

anonymous_joe · 21-11-2008 3:37pm

Eh, I voted for Murphy (woohoo for prescience

) but I think Kearney's the best full back we have. However, I think he's also one of the best wings we have, and given we've got 3 great full backs, but nowhere near that level of depth at wing, I'd rather Kearney stay out there until we've got more options on the wing and for as long as Dempsey and Murphy are still there.

FB for ireland

Who is the better full back 59 votes

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