Kelleher says Demons can bounce back

UCC Demons could make for an interesting run-in when they host Northern Conference leaders and Nivea for Men SuperLeague favourites, DCU Saints, at the Mardyke Arena on Sunday afternoon (3.15pm).

Their cup final defeat may have left Demons reeling but expect them to bounce back for this assignment.

“We have great characters in our dressing room and I’m excited by the way we have the potential to bounce back,” said coach Paul Kelleher.

“We have guys on our team who have won and lost National Cup Finals before so they have been in this position before and we will draw on that experience to help us recover.

Saints may be enjoying life from their lofty perch at the top of the table but coach David Donnelly was far from happy with their display against Belfast Star last weekend and will be looking for something special from their trip to Cork.

“I felt we were sloppy for long periods and in the end although we won by 19 points I did not think it was as clear cut as the final scoreline suggests,” he said.

It will be a big Sunday for Cork fans as Bord Gais Neptune host UCD Marian at Neptune Stadium (3pm) as well with Mark Scannell looking for a big performance.

“I wasn’t particularly happy with our last performance against Moycullen,” he said. “If we want to win the conference, we certainly need to be winning our home games. We didn’t have an easy time against UCD in our games to date so we certainly won’t be taking them for granted.”

Newly crowned National Cup champions UL Eagles will have to put their celebrations aside this weekend when they play Moycullen who have played their last two games without American Luke Enos due to injury but Eagles’ coach, Mark Keenan, knows his side can’t afford a slip-up as they approach the business end of the SuperLeague.

In the Nivea Women’s SuperLeague, the game of the weekend will see Team Montenotte play Killester at Neptune Stadium tomorrow night before they renew rivalry with DCU Mercy on Sunday.