Seanie Maguire

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   I think to be fair Liam, nobody, even Maguire's biggest fans, is suggesting he should be an option for the first team as yet, but looking at the bigger picture, which is really only a year/year and a half away, it isn't inconceivable that Murphy (35 in March '18) , Doyle (34 in September '17) & Walters (34 in September '17) might all have packed it in at that stage, even if they haven't, they are going to be diminishing options for us at the very least. If we were to get to Russia, the chances are all 3 would likely call it a day.
Shane Long is 31 in January '17, still a few years left in him, but he is getting to that stage of his career where he will begin to gradually lose his pace, which is a huge part of his game. He will likely have to adapt his game somewhat as this happens, and how successful he is in doing that will determine whether he will be a longer term option for us. Because of lack of alternatives, he will continue to be in & around the team for a good while to come, but in 2 years time, he might not be in the role he is used at the minute. 

There really is very little out there after that. As things stand, Hogan (who may or may not turn out to be any good in any case) is an Englishman who doesn't play for us. Stokes is a never has been and can't get a game with Blackburn, who will do well to escape league 1 this year.  Joe Mason has never really nailed down his place for a full season with any team, and scores 5-10 goals a season in the championship, which really isn't anything exceptional, Wes Hoolahan gets around the same from midfield, Alan Judge, before he got injured, had more than that last year, likewise Conor Hourihane.  Mason will could well start making squads post 2018, but I don't think we should be expecting too much out of him. 

Adam Rooney is a squad regular, but the management clearly don't think he is up to too much. Cillian Sheridan is another fella who will probably start making squads in a years time, I haven't really seen him playing since underage level, where I thought he was lacking the first touch to make the top level, his list of clubs since seems to prove that assessment some way correct. In 2018, that might not be any barrier for him to become a regular for us, such are the lack of options. 

There are others, like Paddy Madden, Eoin Doyle and even Podge Amond out there, but it would be a fairly huge stretch at this point to see any of them getting caps (further caps in Madden's case) , never mind becoming Ireland regulars.

Whether we like it or not, and regardless of anyone's opinion of Maguire, he is a hell of a lot closer to the Irish squad/team than a lot of people think he is right now, and if in a year and a half's time, we are going to be picking from the likes of Sheridan, Rooney, Mason, Maguire etc, MON may as well start throwing these lads into his giant squads, if only to get them used to it. Maguire is the only fella under 25 of all those named too, something that isn't insignificant either. 

It isn't about awarding caps or squad places for the sake of it, it's looking at options beyond our 30 plus year old current crew of strikers, and the lack of options makes for scary enough reading. 