THE Ireland selectors have turned to the young ones for next season after omitting several of the old guard, including two former Ireland captains, Jim Staples and Terry Kingston.
They are among 10 players from last season's Ireland international panel left out of the 33-man squad for next season which was named last night.
Out, too, go Neil Francis Conor O'Shea, Eric Elwood, Sean McCahill, Kurt McQuilkin and Peter Clohessy, all of whom, like Kingston and Staples, played for Ireland last season.
Nor is there any place for outside half Niall Malone or scrum half Alain Rolland, who captained Ireland A last season. Clohessy was not eligible for inclusion as he is serving suspension which does not end until December.
But there is a very deserved return from the shadows for second row Mick Galwey, the man whose play was so influential in Shannon's great run of success last season. The best he was considered worthy of last season was a place on the bench for the A team after earning 21 caps and a Lions tour prior to that.
There are 10 uncapped players in the squad, including full back Dominic Crotty, wing James Topping and second row Malcolm O'Kelly, all members of the Ireland under-21 team last season. The other uncapped players are centre Robert Henderson, who played for Ireland against the Barbarians last month, Ireland A, Munster and Cork Constitution centre Brian Walsh, Munster and Garryowen scrum half Stephen McIvor, Blackrock College, Leinster and Ireland A player hooker Shane Byrne, Munster, Garryowen and Ireland A hooker Paul Cunningham, Leinster, Blackrock College and Ireland A prop Paul Flavin, and Leinster, Lansdowne and Ireland A prop Angus McKeen.
All those in the squad will be contracted players and the home-based members of the squad will get a basic £25,000 plus a car and the potential to earn in excess of another £20,000 through appearances at £3,000 a match on the national team as well as a win bonus of £1,000 per match. The English-based players will also get a basic fee but nothing comparable, and rightly so, to the home-based players. They will have the same match fee and win bonus incentives as the home-based players.
The squad will train through the summer and will be brought together next weekend. Ireland have appointed a new fitness adviser, Andy Clarke. He supervised training for some members of the squad the weekend before last.
In addition to the 33-man squad named, five under-21 players will also be invited to take part in squad sessions at the selectors discretion during the season.
They are Jan Cunningham, Trinity, Brian O'Meara, Cork Constitution, Colin McEntee, Lansdowne, Denis Hickie, St Mary's and Kieron Dawson, Bangor.
Commenting on the squad, Ireland manager, Pat Whelan, said: "All the players named among the 33 are being offered contracts. However, the contractual situation, has not been finalised as yet.
There will be a three-day session next weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and there will be sessions in July and August.
The five young players will also attend the sessions next weekend. The sessions will not clash with English league matches and Whelan said there would be "flexibility in relation to the squad".
Wales coach Kevin Bowring says Test places are up for grabs in today's match against New South Wales at the Sydney Football Stadium. And he is anxious that his players get their Australian trip back on track after their 69-30 nightmare defeat by Australian Capital Territories with the first Test looming in Brisbane on Saturday.
But that will not be easy against a New South Wales side which defeated the Welsh tourists by a record 71-8 margin in 1991.
