Max Deegan admits that this is a big year for him at Leinster and says he has no idea where rumours linking him with a move to another province last season came from.
The 27-year-old has been capped twice by Andy Farrell for Ireland, in 2020 and 2022, but is in competition with the likes of Josh van der Flier (64 Irish caps), Caelan Doris (43), Jack Conan (46), Will Connors (9) and Ryan Baird (22) for starting berths at Leinster.
It's a high-quality list and stories about Deegan looking elsewhere to stake a claim appeared reasonable but the Dubliner has always insisted he wanted to fight for his place.
He didn’t feature in a Champions Cup squad last season when Leinster lost in the final for the third year running, and appeared just once in Europe the year before.
Last May, Leinster announced that the former St Michael's College student had signed a contract extension.
"There was rumours last year but funny enough, I'd already pre-signed a good few months before then so I don't know where the rumours came from. They probably came at the wrong time.
"[I'm] looking to push forward and get into Champions Cup squads, play in the big games.
"That's what we are all striving to do and then hopefully get back into the Ireland squad, and things like that."
Asked what he feels he needs to do to convince Leo Cullen that he is worth his place ahead of the others, he said: "My game is feeling good, I'm playing a good bit more at 6, I feel like that suits my game well.
"Playing 6, the lineout is a big part of the game, especially how we run our 6s here, having that lineout ability, running lineout defence, lineout attack if necessary.
"You want to have big moments, lineout steals, poaches or big moments in attack.
"Also, just the nuts and bolts of being a 6, big tackles, being an enforcer in the team and that's something I'm looking to bring into my game this year."
Meanwhile, Deegan doesn’t believe that Leinster’s three-year drought without silverware heaps any more pressure on the four-time European champions.
"You could look at the last two seasons and say there is the same amount of pressure on," said Deegan, who started in the win over Edinburgh on Friday.
"After everything that has gone on we are looking to win but I don't think there is added pressure.
"We are trying to push our game on and ideally stay ahead of the teams in the league and Champions Cup, and when it comes to the end of the season, we have to come good.
"That's something down the line that we are not necessarily thinking of at the moment."
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