Elks wary of meeting Neptune on the rebound
Coach Pat Price will want Neptune to bounce back quickly from what was a disappointing performance against their arch rivals when they entertain Ulster Elks at Neptune Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
Elks are on something of a high at the moment. They created one of the shocks of the competition when they dumped neighbours Belfast Star out of the Cup in a tense quarter-final tie and a week or so later they travelled to Dublin and trounced DCU Saints.
The Belfast side also put one over on Neptune earlier in the season but the Cork side have pushed on since then and fans will be hoping that Thursday night’s listless display against Demons was out of context.
They were without the services of captain Michael McGinn, who is on holiday in Canada, and also missed the drive of Ian McLaughlin up themiddle. However, they will be furious when they analyse their ownperformance, and Elks could find themselves at the end of the backlash.
“After a good performance against DCU, we know it will be tough against Neptune,” Elks coach Deirdre Brennan admitted. “They are a very different team at home and with Michael Bonaparte and Ger Noonan playing well, they will feel confident of reversing the result from earlier in the season.”
UCC Demons, on the back of their win over Neptune, will be looking for a quick follow-up when they host UCD Marian at the Mardyke Arena on Monday.
Coach Paul Kelleher made no secret of his delight with Demons’performance on Thursday and they certainly have a bit of a swagger about them. He has slotted some exciting youngsters into the side includingCiaran O’Sullivan.
Ciaran is a son of the legendary Francis O’Sullivan, who once starred for Demons, and his mother, Grace, is also synonymous with basketball. He is one of two Ballincollig under-age stars who have joined Demons — the other being Daniel O’Sullivan.
While Shane Coughlan and Michael Van made safe returns after prolonged spells on the sideline, the key return for coach Kelleher was that of Niall Murphy, missing for a year with a cruciate injury.
“(Against Neptune) he gave us a very good 20 minutes. It was a big win for us and the two points we got from the game was as good as four as it strengthens our position on the table.”
That table is currently topped by UL Eagles, and they will fancy their chances against Moycullen, who have been plagued by injuries. Moycullen coach Enda Byrt is aware that his team have a huge task on their hands tomorrow, but hopes results will improve once his players’ injuries settle down.
“It’s been very difficult to gauge where we are as a team,” he said. “We haven’t really had a full panel together all season but once the lads get back and we get going, hopefully things will pick up.”
UL coach Mark Bernsen insisted his side will not take anything for granted against the Galway outfit and said the timing of the fixture is a particular concern.
“We think it’s going to be a very difficult game for us,” he said. “Moycullen have had quite a lot of injuries but are still a very capable side. The game after Christmas always throws up a few surprises and Moycullen will feel they can be the team to do it this year.”
Champions 11890 Killester go into the new year on the back of 10 successive wins in the SuperLeague, but DCU Saints just might provide them with another stiff test. The Saints almost caught them cold in October before losing out in a tense affair by a mere five points.
“You never know what can happen in the game after Christmas,” Killester’s ‘Mark Keenan said. “We played them earlier in the season and were probably a bit lucky to come away with the win. We know we’ll have to play to our potential if we are going to win the game.”
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