Treaty United Player Profiles: Armshaw, Collins, Conroy

Willie Armshaw: The exciting winger proved to be a major hit with supporters of Treaty last season. It took Armshaw a while to settle following his arrival from renowned Tipperary junior club St. Michaels in January, but the diminutive player made a real impact as the season wore on.

He came up through the underage ranks with both Cork City and Limerick FC. Firstly, he signed for the Leesiders U-17 squad in 2015 and stayed until the end of 2016. He progressed to the Cork U-19’s in 2017 but in June of that year, he signed for Limerick FC U19’s. In 2018, he returned to St. Michaels and was an integral part of a squad who won the FAI Junior Cup in 2019.

Once Treaty formed, Barrett immediately contacted Armshaw and teammate Sean Guerins who trained with the club before signing ahead of the 2021 season. Despite never maintaining a starting place in the team, Willie was involved in some crucial moments and scored some memorable goals including a brilliant solo goal against Bray at the Markets Field. He also rescued a point with a spectacular long range strike against eventual league winners Shelbourne.

He became a fans favourite and his introductions from the bench were regularly met with loud cheers of approval. However, Armshaw’s stamina at Airtricity League level has been called into question and he will be desperate to prove that he can start games and last the pace at this level in 2022. His ability to beat a man in a one on one situation is second to none and his low centre of gravity makes him a nightmare for opposition defenders to deal with.

Joe Collins: The midfielder signed for Treaty after leaving Galway United at the end of the season along with Marc Ludden and Conor Melody. At junior level, Collins was spotted as a very talented player and represented Galway in the Oscar Traynor Trophy. He made 13 appearances for Treaty and started in 7 games.

Collins biggest contribution was undoubtedly his long range match winning strike against Cork City in the Munster derby at Turners Cross which was during a run of 4 wins in 5 matches for Treaty. He found it difficult to break into a talented midfield with the likes of McSweeney, Lynch, Walsh and Callum McNamara all vying for starting places.

He has struggled to remain fit in pre-season and injuries have cost him a chance to challenge for a starting position in Wexford but Joe will be hoping to give Barrett a headache once he returns to full fitness.

Colin Conroy: His new teammates are already speaking very highly of his talents and the Laois native makes his first foray into senior football, having played with Bohemians U-19’s last season. Conroy is a creative midfielder and with Sean McSweeney departing for Shelbourne, Conroy could see plenty of game time. He turns 19 next month and the management team have been very complimentary of their new signing.

Conroy has represented Ireland at various age groups including U-16’s and first signed for Bohemians as a 15 year old in 2018. He continued to line out for the Gypsies at U-17 and U-19 level before going on trial with Treaty. He impressed in games against Finn Harps and Shamrock Rovers before making a substitute appearance in the Munster Senior Cup game against Waterford.