Demons seek to spook Killester
A bye in the National Cup followed by a free weekend means that this will be Demons’ first competitive game since their win over neighbours, Bord Gais Neptune, in that thrilling derby game.
Demons coach Paul Kelleher will be hoping that they have not lost their competitive edge for this crucial game, and the fact that O’Reilly has emigrated to Australia will not help his cause.
“We lost Niall for the remainder of the season and we will have to plan for that,” said Kelleher, who has a wealth of young talent at his disposal.
“When we got into foul trouble early in the second quarter against Neptune we had to play for a long spell without Shane Coughlan, Ciaran O’Sullivan and Marcus Van and our young guys really stepped up and handled themselves really well.”
“That, in itself, has given me a sense of optimism for the long-term as Daniel O’Sullivan, Danny Mahony and Emmett Murphy performed admirably during that crucial time in what was a very competitive game.”
Killester continue to be without Paddy Kelly, who is recovering from a broken collarbone, though that did not bother them last weekend when they were majestic against UL Eagles, but coach Mark Keenan won’t be complacent.
Michael McGinn will be available for Bord Gais Neptune when they travel to Galway to play Moycullen this weekend, as the teak-tough point guard got the all-clear after being taken to hospital for examination after an accidental knee on the head in their win over UCD Marian on Sunday.
“We hope to continue on from our performance last weekend,” Neptune coach, Pat Price, said. “We will need to limit Moycullen’s scoring chances by keeping Mason Ambler and Stephen Tummon off the backboards.
“Our bench contributions will be counted upon once again. It has been exciting to see our younger players like Stephen Sheehan, Jason Wilkinson and Jermaine Kamara developing over the past few months.”
Moycullen’s cause this weekend hasn’t been helped by the absence of Cian Nihill, who is still recovering from the knee injury he suffered in the loss to 11890 Killester.
UCD Marian coach, Fran Ryan, wants to see his side come back from the disappointing loss to Neptune with all guns blazing. His side are boosted by the return of Barry Glover, who is averaging 16.5 points per game this season.
Mark Bernsen wants UL Eagles to get back on the winning track when they face up to Ulster Elks in Belfast after another disappointing loss to Killester.
“We did OK at times against Killester but for sure the better team on the night won the game,” he said.
“The Elks have good players and a solid squad and they have the incentive of playing in front of their own home crowd. We must match up with their big players such as Kevin Foley, Ben De La Cruz and Barry Drumm to have any chance of a result in the game.”
Amanda O’Regan, who missed their last two games, is ready to return for Team Montenotte Hotel Cork when they travel to Dublin to play Meteors on Sunday but Grainne Dwyer faces a race against time to be fit.
They had a crucial win over UL last weekend and coach Mark Scannell wants to keep the momentum going.
“Meteors are a young side and going in the right direction,” he said. “I can see what they are trying to do and they are capable of upsetting teams.”
UL, who lost that thriller to title rivals Team Montenotte Hotel Cork last weekend, are ready to introduce New Zealand Olympian Natalie Taylor for tomorrow night’s clash with Waterford Wildcats.
Taylor is finally eligible to line out for UL, having represented her country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and been voted ‘MVP’ for New Zealand’s Women’s basketball league in 2007.
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