Galbally brace for trip to title rivals Castleisland

THE Heineken Cup match in Limerick on Sunday has seriously hampered the junior programme as a lack of referee availability has forced several clubs to rearrange their fixtures with a handful now going ahead on Saturday.

Division Two is where the vast majority of the weekend’s action is set to take place with a total of five games set to be played.

Leaders and league favourites Galbally face a difficult test as they travel down to play under lights at Castleisland. The South Limerick side have set the pace and remain undefeated in the league after five matches, having claimed the Challenge Shield.

Frank Cussen and Niall McNamara have been star performers and they will hope to carry their early season form into this game.

Castleisland are also well in the hunt for promotion and will be full of confidence after a hard-fought victory over local rivals Killarney.

They will look to make a strong start and hope that skilful players such as Nessan Murphy and Mark Connolly can cause problems for the Galbally defence.

A win will see the Kerry team leapfrogging their visitors and possibly going top as the other two sides above them, Kanturk and St Mary’s, have a rest this weekend.

There are three teams just a point behind Castleisland and all hope to bolster their promotion hopes with wins this weekend.

Mallow host Bandon and the North Cork side will be disappointed if they don’t come away with the win. They have produced some superb rugby this season, with Sam Holt and Dave McCarthy excelling.

Bandon will need a disciplined display to get a result here. On their day they are capable of matching any team in the division and if they defend strongly, they could frustrate their hosts.

Despite their recent defeat to Castleisland, Killarney are still in the thick of the promotion battle. They got off to a flying start and will be hoping to replicate that form as they make the trip up to Ennis.

The form of kicking ace Paudie Sheehan will be vital for the Kerry team as the Clare side aim to close in on the promotion contenders. Home advantage may just help Ennis to get a win after suffering some narrow losses.

Newcastle West will be seeking to bolster promotion aspirations with a home victory over Newport. The West Limerick side have been in plenty of entertaining encounters, with Tommy Kelleher and Donal O’Sullivan enjoying very strong seasons.

Newport are involved in the relegation battle and will face an uphill task to earn a victory.

The other scheduled game in this division sees Youghal host Kinsale.

The East Cork team are at the foot of the table and Kinsale possess plenty of strong attackers.

There is a single match set to be played in Division Three and this is down to be played this evening as Corca Dhuibhne make the trip up to Fermoy. The North Cork team are undefeated and will hope to maintain their excellent form but will be wary of the threat posed by the Kerry side.

The first round games from the Junior Cup, which all had to be postponed last weekend, are scheduled to be played on Sunday week, December 19.