Tralee date for both Demons and Limerick

AFTER their big win over Ballina in the first round of the Cup, Abrakebabra Tigers face a huge weekend in the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague when they play host to UCC Demons at the Leisure Centre on Saturday night and then tackle Limerick Lions on Bank Holiday Monday.

“Right now they are the top two teams in the SuperLeague,” Tralee Coach, Joe Quirke, said. “If we can take maximum points, then we will be set up for the season.”

Last weekend Limerick Lions shocked Demons in the first round of the Cup and coach, Pat Price, insisted he would be having no more of it: “The team we saw out there was not the team we would like for the remainder of the season,” he said, indicating they need to put the record straight with a big game in Tralee.

But the man who has led Demons to two Cup medals and three finals in a row knows only too well how difficult it is to take points out of Tralee.

“The atmosphere can be pretty noisy all right,” Joe Quirke admitted. “Right now we’re playing pretty well. We beat Hoops in the first round without the benefit of a pre-season game and we did not know what to expect when we travelled up to Ballina last weekend.

“I’d like to think that we’re a more settled team now. We’ve still to see the best of our bigger American, Dave Walker, and I’d predict a big game from him. Roscoe (Patterson) did exceptionally well off the bench last week, while John Teahan’s a great leader.

“He gives 100% every game but when it comes to the cup he gives 150%. If we can beat Demons and Limerick it will be a fulfilling weekend. We had a huge crowd for our first game against Hoops and I would expect an even bigger one on Saturday night. There is great rivalry between ourselves and Demons.”

After three exciting weeks on the road, Limerick Lions get a chance to parade their talents before their home fans.

They face something of an unknown quantity tomorrow night when they play host to Neptune who are in the throes of regrouping after being overwhelmed by Demons in their first game and losing to UCD in the Cup last weekend.

“I think it will be a hard fought game,” Limerick coach, Tommy Hehir, said. “I’d expect to see Dajan Smith on the court, linking up with Ger Noonan. Both played together in Killarney so they’ll be familiar.

“Smith is not a rookie, he is good with plenty of experience of the Irish game.

“We don’t have the experience of players like Gordon Fitzgerald and Stephen McCarthy but I would like to think that we can take the points.

“Having said that, Neptune are not going to go on losing forever and we can’t expect to go on winning forever so it will be there to play for. There will not be a lot between us.

“And that was a very impressive win by Tralee in Ballina last weekend. Ballina can be a pretty awesome place at the best of times but to beat them in the cup, with their tradition, is exceptional, so I’ll be expecting a big game from Tralee on Monday afternoon.

“I would not be too sure about what is happening in the Northern Conference but I think every team in the Southern Conference is beatable.”