Duncan Casey: Munster should take a leaf out of the NFL’s talent identification playbook 

Former Munster player Duncan Casey believes it's time for the province to get aggressive about targeting those playing other sports. 

Munster have to find ways to close the gap on Leinster. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

In sales, ‘building the pipeline’ refers to the practice of identifying leads and moving them along the process, with a view to converting as many of them into deals at the end of the day. Sales gurus warn about the perils of neglecting to build the pipeline when the going is good and things are humming along nicely. When the deals are done and the dust is settled, you can find yourself having to start from scratch again and suddenly, you’re facing into a barren period.

The same principles apply to developing sporting talent. There are times when you’ll have an embarrassment of riches. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking things will continue in the same vein indefinitely and the cream will always rise to the top. If you’re not proactive about ensuring the flow of talent remains steady and finding new ways to optimise the process, you can find yourself at a disadvantage and struggling to make up for lost time.