Tight court campaign ahead
"This is as balanced as I've seen it in my experience here," the UCC Demons coach, Pat Price, said yesterday as he prepares for one of the most exciting phases in the club's history following their link-up with UCC and a move to the state-of-the-art Mardyke complex.
But such affairs count for little as Price concentrates on their dream opening tie at home to Tolka Rovers, on Sunday afternoon (3.15pm).
Last year the affable American was plagued with a succession of injuries. Unfortunately, the new season is about to start as the old one ended with star performers on the bench.
New signing and Foreign Player of the Year, James Singleton, and Shane Coughlan are those causing most concern on the eve of the campaign opener.
"We are a little bit banged up already," Price admitted. "Neither player has trained this week and it will be a game-time decision as to whether or not they are fit enough. We need a full squad. We would like to start off on the right foot. It would be nice to win our first game and get some momentum going."
The injuries are a worry but nevertheless UCC Demons are optimistic on this, the brink of a new era for the club. "We have been fortunate to have had a good off-season in terms of acquisitions," Price said. "We also acquired players like Noel Hartigan and Niall O'Reilly. In fact we now have six players 6'5" or more."
Tomorrow night the ESB Arena hosts Notre Dame who face the team that stripped them of their National Cup title this year, Burger King Limerick.
But Notre Dame are already in a celebratory mood as Anthony Jenkins's receipt of an Irish passport is welcome news for both the player and the club. The newly received citizenship, which was confirmed last weekend, has now gifted his side the right to sign another professional player for their forthcoming Super League campaign.
Alex Harris has already been acquired from the USA and the 6'9" centre is poised to make a big impact in every sense. He had a tough introduction to the Irish scene last weekend at Glasnevin where he suffered a broken nose in the St Vincent's tournament.
Burger King coach Tom Hehir could be without Jermaine Williams but is hopeful that the big American will be fit enough to take his place. The former LSU star who joined the Limerick side this season fell awkwardly on his leg at the end of a friendly in Killarney some time ago and has not trained since.
Coach Hehir would have liked to have him alongside their other new American signing, Nazareth Henry, from BJ McFarlan's old college, at the Neptune pre-season tournament last weekend.
"We have Luke O'Hea in from Australia and Paul Freeman, who played for Ballina last season and is attending University of Limerick, in as well and it would have been nice to have been able to play them all in Cork last weekend," he said.
"You are always anxious to see how they adapt to the Irish game and if they will gel. But it is all pretty exciting."
Champions Waterford Crystal will have some new faces in the squad when they open their defence of the league title against Hibernian UCD Marian at the WIT tomorrow night. Marian have replaced Lemans Shingler with Jermaine Turner who arrived in Dublin yesterday to begin his third season in the Super League having played previously with Tralee and Dungannon.
Ricardo Leonard will be a notable absentee having undergone surgery on a damaged tendon and Frosties Tigers will also be without Michael Quirke when they travel to play SX3 Star tomorrow night. Quirke will be lining out for Kerins O'Rahilly's in the semi-final of the Kerry senior football championship on Sunday.
Star, who also play ITP Sainds in Glasnevin on Sunday, will have Willy Bryant in their squad for the weekend.
His arrival coincides with the granting of Irish citizenship to John Leahy, who is now expected to be brought into the Irish team for next month's European championship semi-final game against Germany.
Meanwhile Drimnagh Dynamoes could upset the big guns in the women's Super League and their clash with Bausch & Lomb Wildcats at the Mercy Convent in Waterford tomorrow night (7pm) will attract a lot of interest. Wildcats were without their 6'5" Canadian Martina Jerant last weekend and she is still recovering from flu.
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