Demons hoping star duo make it
Plagued by a succession of injuries all season, the last thing Price wanted was more trouble but it came on the double during the week for not alone was O’Halloran in the physio room but Shane Coughlan came down with a bout of ‘flu.
“I would be hoping to have both fully fit for Sunday’s final,” he said. “I will know how Tim O’Halloran has responded at tonight’s training session. He won’t be doing too much physically tomorrow but it is just a waiting game right now to see how he responds.”
As regards Shane Coughlan, his problem could hardly have come at a worse time. A hand injury wiped out the first half of the season for him and he was just back among the starting five again when he came in contact with the flu bug.
“I can only hope that he is looking after himself and that he will be fully recovered for the game,” the coach said. “He has been through a lot this season.”
It has been a traumatic season for the reigning champions who were beset with injury problems from the very outset. Their American players did not work out and there was a time when people were writing them off.
Coming to the turn, however, things began to fall into place. Injuries were clearing up, Benito Flores arrived on the scene, followed by new point guard LeShon Sheffield, youngsters Niall Murphy, David Murphy and Carlton Cuffe came good. Overnight, they were a team again.
“Those guys were never going to accept defeat — they were never going to quit,” Price insisted. “The key was to stay focused. The committee called us in and we had a great meeting. They promised to pull out all the stops, I promised to pull out all the stops and the players promised to step up to the mark. Here we are.”
When it came to the cup they always knew what was needed. They have been in six semi-finals in seven years and any time they were beaten it was by the eventual winners. Two years ago they lost to Tralee in the final and, while they reclaimed the trophy last year, they would like to avenge that defeat.
Tigers have been revelling in the limelight in recent weeks. They had a big win over St Vincent’s in the semi-final and, if that was not enough to capture the imagination, Kieran Donaghy returned from a holiday with the Kerry footballers and announced that he would be available for the final.
“Obviously the enormous presence of Kieran Donaghy has given us a huge boost,” their coach, Dave Falvey, said. “He has kept us in the news for the past two weeks and there is a huge buzz around the town. Several people are organising coaches to the game. It is going to be a great occasion and I think it is going to be an exciting game. I just hope we come out on the right side.”
Dave Falvey’s involvement at national cup level goes back to the days of the Lee Strand women’s team. He coached them to the semi-finals in 1996, his under-19 team that featured Micheál Quirke lost to Killester in a semi-final and the last time he coached the SuperLeague team they also lost to the eventual winners, Limerick Lions, in the semi-finals.
“But we have a really balanced team this year,” Dave Falvey said. “We have filled all the positions we needed to fill.”
Micheál (Quirke) is playing as well as any American and their American players, Wilder Auguste and Dave Fanning, are superb under the boards while Bosman, James Mooney from New York, is the driving force from the back.
“But our Irish players could hold the key,” he said. “Micheál Quirke and Kieran Donaghy are products of the under-age structure, Aidan Holden and Liam Culloty have also come up through the juvenile ranks but the real inspiration comes from John Teahan.”
Teahan, a paramedic, was back on ambulance duty in Caherciveen at 8pm the day of the semi-final. Married to Maurice Fitzgerald’s sister, Marie, he drives all the way to Tralee for the training sessions and can be first there and last to leave — a role model on and off court.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
