2015 will go down as the year that Irish rugby finally realised that we have some depth. For the first time, talented players were left out of Ireland's 31-man squad.
Andrew Trimble was the most high profile of those left out, but there were legitimate reasons for each of the back three players that made the squad ahead of him. Trimble's gametime in the previous few months had been limited, and it didn't help that his toe was re-injured on his comeback with Ireland in that spectacular warm-up win against Wales.
How does someone who was so rated by his coach as Trimble was a year previous, reconcile with missing out on the biggest squad in four years?
I was carrying the ball well, I was getting up in D, taking a couple of high balls. I was just doing everything that Joe likes. Maybe if I hadn't had that setback? At one stage I thought that setback was going to be a massive setback - the injury to the toe. For a day or two, I thought I'd done the same thing again before I went to London to see a consultant.
He said I'd just broken down some scar tissue, so I knew I was going to be okay two weeks later, but those two weeks were just crucial.
Unlike most, Trimble had his hopes raised after he was overlooked. An injury to Jared Payne opened the door for another back to join the squad - and Trimble was the name that everyone mentioned would be joining Schmidt's squad.
Then, when Jared got injured, it was, 'Is this going to be my chance?' I did the same thing for a couple of days, hoping, waiting, thinking I might get a phone call and then again, disappointment for a day or two. You get used to it as a professional. I've had plenty of disappointment and plenty of good times, so I know how to deal with both of them now.
It's rare that a sportsman suffers such pain of missing out twice in quick succession like that. Trimble isn't a normal player. At 31, he's probably played in his last World Cup.
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Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
