RUGBY: Garryowen have begun to sign young players to contracts in their attempt to secure their position as one of the top clubs in the country. In doing so they appear to have opened up a new vista in club rugby in Ireland.

With the launch of their academy at the beginning of last month, the club also offered full contracts to 14 players. They are mostly underage interprovincial or international standard. The club hopes to develop them into elite players capable of performing at senior interprovincial and international standard. Entry to the academy is by invitation only.

The 14 will undergo a two-year programme of individually tailored training regimens aimed at exposing them to the latest in player development. Garryowen claim it to be the only club-based elite player development system in Ireland which specifically focuses on the individual.

The director of the academy is Australian David Clarke, formerly of the New South Wales academy of sport, and its chairman is former Irish international front row and Irish team manager Pat Whelan.

Garryowen are expected to invest at least €127,000 (£100,000) in the players, all of whom are students. Irish Schools captain Eoghan Nihill, a back row from Clare; prop Ross Callaghan, an Irish under-19 player; and Diarmuid O'Riordan, a former Irish Schools full back, are just three currently on full contract.

While the plan is interesting and innovative, the investment is not designed to evaporate when provincial or international contracts arrive on the players' doors, as inevitably they will. If that happens, a number of questions arise which could shift the emphasis on the relationship between club and the IRFU.

For example, what will happen to the 21-year-old player who is asked to commit himself to a provincial contract when he is already contracted to Garryowen, and how could a club like Garryowen benefit from a system that would allow a player to simply walk away after a two-year investment?

The answer is that the IRFU may be asked to compensate the club in some way, or buy the players out of their contracts. As is already the case, players with senior provincial contracts rarely get a chance to play for their clubs during the All-Ireland League campaign, and given the size of the investment Garryowen are not about to walk away from that sort of money solely for the good of Irish rugby.

"We'll have to say to the IRFU, 'Look, we've spent this much money on the guy'," said a Garryowen club official. "This is opening up a whole new area. It will cost the club six figures plus to run the academy. It is a very, very, heavy financial undertaking for a club such as Garryowen to get into.

"All of the clubs are finding it difficult financially at the moment. But we would say that it is an indication of our commitment given the current poor financial situation of clubs. Our commitment is as much to Munster and Ireland as it is to Garryowen."

While Garryowen's intentions are honourable, the contract issue still raises a number of important questions for other clubs. Will they now gamble on offering contracts to players when they leave school? Indeed, at what age are clubs legally allowed to contract players?

The innovation may also give clubs more control over their players. If, as expected, the stronger players on Garryowen contracts come through the ranks and are asked to take up provincial contracts, the clubs, while not wishing to hold back the progress of their top athletes, could become involved in negotiations at that stage. That may involve insuring the availability of players for a certain number of matches each season.

CONTRACTED PLAYERS: Diarmuid O'Riordan, Youghal (full back), Brendan Mackey, Youghal (centre), Mike Fleming, Waterville (centre), Brendan O'Brien, Limerick (half back), Darren Harris, Limerick (half back), Alan Purcell, Limerick (half back), Sean Brosnan, Youghal (hooker), Ross Callaghan, Limerick (prop), James Clifford, Killorglin (prop), Wesley Maxwell, Ballymoate (prop), Francis Broderick, Charleville (second row), Stephen Bradshaw, Limerick (second row), Eoghan Nihill, O'Brien's Bridge (back row), Brendan O'Connor, Cashel (back row).