Strong feelings - why the storied Demons-Neptune rivalry is now more heated than ever

Sunday's refixture of last weekend's playoff between the clubs sold out in minutes and will be played under a cloud of recrimination. 

THE BIG GUNS: Elijah Tillman celebrates a score for UCC Demons; UCC Demons vs Energywise Ireland Neptune in the Domino’s Pizza Men’s Superleague quarter final at Mardyke Arena, UCC, Cork. Pic Larry Cummins

If it was any other pairing it would be just a mere controversy, or more so a curiosity. A bit like that Limerick Eagles-Portlaoise Panthers saga of 12 months ago that had CNN and other international news agencies so bemused at the prospect of two sides having to reconvene to play the final 0.3 seconds of a game all over again.

But this isn’t just any pairing. It’s Demons-Neptune, easily the most celebrated and enduring rivalry in Irish basketball, and thanks in no small part to the latest twist in their intertwined history, easily the most intense.