Nathan Doak putting pressure on John Cooney is good news for Ulster, says Paul Marshall

Former Ulster scrum-half Paul Marshall believes the province are going to reap the benefits of having stiff competition for the No.9 jersey this season with John Cooney now having to battle for minutes alongside 20-year-old prospect Nathan Doak at Kingspan Stadium. Cooney has long been the first choice at scrum-half for head coach Dan McFarland since he made the switch from Connacht in 2017, but an early season injury opened the door for another to stake a claim, and Doak has been the man to flourish. The son of European Cup-winning Ulster scrum-half Neil, the young contender has been superb when called upon for the province, starting four games this season and earning man of the match plaudits in two of them, showing veteran leadership despite being only two years out of school. In the past, Ulster perhaps would have shown an over-reliance on Cooney in big games, but even when the incumbent was back from injury the coaching staff entrusted Doak to see them over the line against Leinster at the RDS and away to Clermont in the Heineken Champions Cup. “I think it’s fantastic. It was great to see Nathan trusted with those minutes when John was out, and even when John was back they gave him plenty of time on the pitch,” points out Marshall, well-qualified to comment having made 206 appearances at scrum-half for the province across his 12-year career. “Now, I do think that because John was coming back from injury, initially they were being mindful of his minutes, but Nathan has looked so calm and assured. His goal-kicking has been excellent and it shows how much confidence that Dan and the coaching staff have in him. “You saw in the Ospreys game, it was still 13-13 when they brought him on, and bringing him on when a game like that is in the balance shows stacks of confidence in him. In the past they might have thought, ‘We know John is just back from injury but we’ll keep him on anyway’, whereas they’ve brought Nathan on anyway. “It’s good both scrum-halves kick, too, because it means that if you’re bringing off John for Nathan you don’t think you’re losing a kicker because Nathan can kick really well too. It is a like for like in terms of their kicking qualities. “That competition is great for both of them.” Still only on a development contract at the start of the season, Doak has since been rewarded for his performances by being given a whopping four-year extension earlier this week that moves him onto a senior deal for the first time in his career, tying him down until 2026. Ulster fans will be thrilled to see one of their brightest prospects committing his long-term future to the club already and Marshall believes there is still plenty to come from the former Wallace High stand-out, particularly given who he has driving him on at home. “The way he’s developed has been fantastic, and it’s good he got that run of games at the start of the season to build that confidence. Nathan seems to have dealt with everything well so far,” praises the Premier Sports analyst. “Knowing his dad and knowing his family very well, I know he’ll have rehearsed all these scenarios at home and his dad will have given him plenty of advice. Neil will know better than anyone, though, that Nathan is his own man and he has to learn things for himself. “But certainly his trajectory to this point has been superb. Hopefully he will only get better and continue to put pressure on John.”