Soon the Ospreys will announce who is leaving the Squad and who is being promoted from the Academy. Our squad could look something like this (the XVs are interchangeable)
First XV Second XV Third XV Fourth XV
G Thomas N Smith * G Phillips C Jones
D Lake S Parry * S Baldwin * E Taione
T Francis T Botha R Henry B Warren*/Fackrell
A Beard BBBD H Sutton J Fender
AWJ R Davies J Regan
W Griffiths* D Lydiate W Hickey*
J Tipuric * M Morris* H Deaves S Cross
J Morgan * E Roots * S Moore* M Morse
R Webb RMW H Morgan M Aubrey
G Anscombe S Myler D Edwards
K Giles M Protheroe
O Watkin * M Collins * T Thomas-Wheeler O Knott
G North K Williams J Hawkins
A Cuthbert L Morgan T Florence
M Nagy J Walsh D Evans H Houston
The Team Wales players are in Red so our AI and 6N teams would come from the 4 non internationals and a mix of the Second & Third XVs. Current Academy players are highlighted in Red.
Struggling to find a couple of Back rowers for the 4th XV and some wingers as shown by the blanks. If you know of someone I have missed, please let me know and I will add them to the Squad.
47 full pros confirmed, 10 transitional members.
This is a really welcome development from a transparency point of view as well, well done to the Ospreys.
I know there’s not many 6’4 looseheads but Cameron Jones has impressed me with his physical carrying.
We seem to invented a new category of academy player, a transition group above the academy.
From the forwards, tighthead Ellis Fackrell, Lloyd the hooker, Derwyn’s son at lock, Cai Davies from Swansea Uni at 6/8 and Morse in the backrow as well. I suppose we’re looking to bridge the gap a bit better.
In response to my earlier post about value, here’s the game time of our squad this year. 1680 minutes played by the Ospreys - these figures don’t include international minutes.
We had terrible injury luck, limited value from our internationals, limited value from our nWq, weak contributions from the marginal players and several poorer players were overexposed.
Smith 895, Thomas 575, Jones 211, Phillips 0
Phillips 33, Lake 447, Baldwin 50, Elvis, 500, Parry 650
Henry 153, Fia 54, Botha 686, Francis 779
AWJ 418, Beard 930, BD 747, Regan 57, Peers 185, RD 884, Sutton 16, Griffiths 1120
Lydiate 233, Tips 0, Roots 901, Jac 1120, Morris 1185, Cross 287, Hickey 6, Deaves 264, Cracknell 55, Moore 0
Webb 1256, Aubrey 45, Harri 10, RMW 386
Cai 36, Anscombe 896, Myler 578, Thomas 250
Hawkins 218, Williams 550, Knott 0, Watkin 1231, Collins 1273, TTW 242
Morgan 1204, Cuthbert 651, North 192, Giles 719, Protheroe 771
Evans 785, Nagy 387
There are 47 players in the Ospreys Senior squad on their website, with the obvious mistake of Ifan Phillips, at the top of this page OFF has given a pretty extensive list of not far off 4 full teams and again 47 players, he has Huw Sutton whose missing from the Ospreys website, is he actually a full Senior squad player. Finally has there been further Academy promotions into the Senior squad that I and possibly others have missed?
Fender signed for two years but loaned out, making the lock depth chart being AWJ, Beard, R Davies, Griffiths, Regan, B Davies, Sutton
Presumably the plan is for Fender to come back and replace the retiring B Davies. Good succession planning.
Let’s hope that the WRU can sort our budget by January because there’s an absolutely golden opportunity to remake the squad to make it much younger.
Out of contract ought to be 30+ aged players such as Anscombe, Cuthbert, Morgan, Myler, Webb, Taioni, Baldwin, AWJ, BDavies, Lydiate and Cross with Roots and a few others also out of contract.
I think there’s a great opportunity this coming season to develop a young core and see if the likes of Dan Edwards, Josh Carrington, James Fender, Garyn Phillips, Tom Florence, Ben Warren and Harri Houston can save us an absolute fortune by providing second XV strength, while allowing us to target blue chip Welsh players playing in England. We could also do with getting clarity on Harri Morgan, Max Nagy and Joe Hawkins as all three could help us kick on.
There are four or five blue chip players in England under 25 - Reffell, Christ, Daf Jenkins, Lloyd and LRZ - we should target two of those at least, then we should think about whether the NWQ market gives us alternatives to Roots and Regan, although I think the latter is contracted for another two years.
Anscombe has signed a new 1 year deal.
Still think there’ll be another name or two we don’t retain.
Doubt we’ll sign anyone though.
Just announced the full list: Lloyd Ashley (153 games), Ma’afu Fia (105), Rhodri Jones (87) Josh Thomas (17), Dewi Cross (10), Callum Carson (3)
I'd imagine the suspension did Carson no favours.
You can see a decent sized overhaul in 2023 with potential outgoings in the form of players like AWJ, Cuthbert, BBBD, Lydiate, Myler, L Morgan, Baldwin, D Evans, Taione, Cross etc.
Obviously you can't lose too much experience in one go but if there is a overhaul of some sort I would like to see Booth & Garcia still around to realise an Ospreys squad with their fingerprints all over it and what that could look like.
The really interesting off-season will be next year, as we’ll be looking at a lot of the older players retiring. Huge chance to shrink the squad, get younger and get some higher quality nWq in.
Fia gone which I imagine is the last of the official departures.
I imagine we’ll still be open to paying some off but I don’t think we’ll announce fringe players like Dewi Cross and Morgan Strong.
I wonder when we'll announce the departing players.
This should be an interesting thread. At this point we are speculating but as soon as the leavers are announced which will probably be in advance of the end of season awards which is in around 10 days time we will be able to get a more accurate fix.
I doubt we will have as many as sixty players or four full teams. That sort of depth will be reserved for front row and scrum half. Elsewhere there can be a fair bit of positon flex. I doubt we carry much more than 50 players next season.
In terms of your squad Cam Jones will be the fourth loose head. Fackrell is a tight head. Rhys Henry can cover both sides. Iestyn Hopkins Josh Carrington and Llien Morgan are young back three options. Rhodri Lewis could come into the frame at scrum half
It would not totally shock me if along with Fia Strong Dewi Cross and Ashley we saw releases of Sam Cross Carson Aubrey Knott Dan Evans and one of Josh Thomas or Cai Evans.
Think we‘ll move some fringe players on.
Still think we need to recruit a 9, at least.