Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘DOON & GLOOM
John: I had chances to leave & at times I wish I’d taken them
REGRETS? John Muldoon has a few.
In fact, there are plenty to mention. That three-cap international career, for one. Playing through injuries is another – then there’s the decision to spend his entire 17 season career with Connacht.
Not that he didn’t love the place – it’s just the fact he didn’t get to spread his wings.
Now, almost two years after retiring, he’s a coach with Bristol in the English Premiership, and finally getting to experience life outside the Galway bubble.
“I don’t regret for one minute staying at Connacht, but – and I know this sounds silly – I regret not leaving,” he said.
“I regret all sorts of things, anyone who says they’ve no regrets, they are talking absolute nonsense.
“If you say you’ve gone through life with no regrets, then you haven’t dreamed big enough or haven’t put yourself under pressure. You haven’t put yourself out there to want something.
“There were nights out I went on and shouldn’t have, and nights out that I didn’t go on and should have done, then there’s the regret of not experiencing going abroad, challenging myself.
“I had a couple of opportunities to leave. I considered France – and probably the reason I didn’t go was I was too young, I’d have been going on my own, at 24, with no language skills.
“If I pushed it later I may have taken it, so maybe it came too soon.”
Muldoon believes his love for his home province worked against him in the end, meaning his playing days ended as a one-club man – a status that still inspires mixed feelings.
“Ultimately, I had a desire and want to achieve something with Connacht.
“I was listening to
Springbok captain
Siya Kolisi during the
World Cup and he said he wants to do something for his community – but he can’t do that if he’s somewhere else.
“I wanted
Connacht to achieve something, but on a selfish point of view, I wanted to experience something different.”
A Pro12 title arrived with Connacht just two seasons before retirement
– but there another part of his career remains a regret
– his Ireland career.
“Do I think I should have had more Irish caps? Absolutely.
“Do I think I deserved them – not necessarily. But I could have got more out of myself, I could have done more.
“Sometimes, you have to be strong enough to say no and I lost a season or so because I played too quickly after an injury, and broke down.
“You don’t want to let anybody down, but sometimes I wasn’t selfish enough to say no.”