In any season punctuated by contract negotiations, injury enforced playing sabbaticals have a high nuisance tariff. The abridged version is that Fergus McFadden wants to stay
at Leinster. Discussions on a new contract are ongoing, the 28-year-old optimistic that a mutually satisfactory resolution can be reached.
He said: “Nothing is set in stone yet. I love Leinster; it’s a great club, been great to me.
“There’s always curiosity about going abroad, going to a different set-up, but it’s very hard to leave this set-up at the moment with the facilities we have; essentially a new flock coming through after Leo and Brian retired.
“I think having gotten over the interim period at the start of the year with injuries, we’re in a good place in the league [and] we’re getting by in Europe; I’d like to think in 2015 we can kick on. There haven’t been any real talks [but] my priority is to stay at Leinster. There’s always a curiosity, but if I could stay here I’d be happiest.”
Injuries
Something else that would appeal is an injury-free run over the next few months. Stretchered off with a severe ankle sprain in Leinster’s Guinness Pro12 defeat to
Munster
at the Aviva Stadium in early October, he endured seven weeks on the sideline, and then on his return damaged a thumb in the Ospreys match. It required both surgery and a further six-week playing hiatus.
McFadden's return at the weekend against Ulster was marked by a typically abrasive performance.
“It’s good to be back. I’m rusty in a good few areas, but hopefully I’ll get a bit more game time now this week before Europe.
“It’s getting competitive now, a lot of guys are coming back from injury and it’s exciting after a stop-start year before Christmas for us. I feel we’ve managed and gotten through it well with some of the injuries we’ve had and hopefully we’ll kick on now.
"Obviously it would be great to be involved in a successful Six Nations, but it's not really to the forefront of my mind, having not been involved in a really successful November [Test series]."
