Conor Bartley thought his pro rugby dream was over, then Munster came calling

Aged 29 and 10 years into an AIL career, Conor Bartley thought the notion he could play professional rugby was dead in the water. Then, he got an unexpected call from Munster.

HELPING HAND: More experienced teammates like Oli Jager (left) have provided support for Conor Bartley. Pic: ©INPHO/Natasha Barton

In his teens and early 20s, the idea that he could play professional rugby was in Conor Bartley’s mind. As he edged towards 30, that dream began to slip away like the ball on a wet Limerick day.

“I thought my time was up,” says Bartley, “I’d see out the last few seasons with the Cookies and that’d be it.” Last November, aged 29, the Young Munster front row got a call from Gar Prendergast, Munster’s academy and pathway manager. The province was in a prop injury crisis. Amid the tumult of Graham Rowntree’s unexpected departure three weeks earlier, Bartley’s dream was about to become reality.