O’Brien returns for unbeaten Killester
The Corkman, who returned to his native city to play with his old club, Neptune, last season, has been on the injured list since he moved back to Dublin but he was back in full training this week.
“I expect a tough challenge from what I regard as a very talented Belfast Star team,” coach Mark Keenan insisted. “We played them pre-season and it was a very exciting affair and I would expect much the same this time round.
“Darren (O’Neill) is a good coach and his guys will be well prepared for us but I feel that if we perform the way I know we can and maintain last week’s performance we can get the win at home.”
DART Killester are sitting pretty at the top of the pile while Star have had just one win to date in the SuperLeague and that was last month at home to Neptune.
UCC Demons, who pose the big threat to Killester’s lofty ambitions, return to action this weekend and are likely to pile on the agony for an Ulster Elks side still reeling from their exit to Abrakebabra Tigers in the Men’s SuperLeague Cup.
Demons coach, Douglas Leichner, is still wary despite a disappointing start to the season for Elks.
“The Elks have impressive talent in the shape of Matt Bently, Clint Nagel and Irish International Ian O’Boyle,” said Leichner. “This trio has put up huge offensive numbers with each having great individual efforts over the season. UU can score at a high rate.
“We have a variety of injuries throughout the side. We have not trained with a full squad in weeks and can count on one hand the amount of times it has happened this season.”
The Elks were without Ian McLaughlin, Conor Gallagher and Conor Dornan last weekend and are hoping to have them all back in the line-up for what has to be regarded as a very important tie but — even at full strength — they have a huge task ahead of them.
Stephen McCarthy will have to plan without his Bosman Jay Marriott who has returned to Plymouth for treatment having taken ill but otherwise he reports a full bench ahead of his trip to the National Basketball Arena to play Hoops.
“Jay has gone home to get things sorted out and we cannot sign a replacement so we will be without him for the remainder of the season,” McCarthy said. “We had two good wins last week and that got us back on track but Hoops are a team in form at the moment as well and, coupled with that, we don’t have a good record at the NBA. But we have a nice blend of youth and experience. We’re going in the right direction.”
Team Montenotte Hotel Cork travel to Waterford to play Waterford Wildcats in what will be a repeat of last season’s women’s cup final. Mark Scannell’s Team Montenotte, with all the trophies on their sideboard, look unbeatable at the moment and it will be interesting to see if home advantage in the intimacy of their own den will favour the Wildcats.
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