Preview: Women's Super League Week 4

SETU Waterford Wildcats will have the chance to draw level with FloMAX Liffey Celtics at the summit of the Women’s Super League on Saturday evening as the unbeaten league leaders making the trip to the Southeast.

It’s FloMAX Liffey Celtics third road trip to start the season, having already picked up wins in Killarney and Portlaoise to go with last weekend’s 77-65 win over Trinity Meteors in Leixlip.

The home side held a 20-point advantage at one stage of the contest, before being pegged back in the closing quarter. “We’ve a lot more to come,” insisted head coach Karl Kilbride following his side’s 12 point win over Meteors and they’ll need to find that extra gear this weekend.

Wildcats have bounced back well from a narrow opening day defeat to Killester, dismantling Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell, before a tense 69-65 win against The Address UCC Glanmire in week three. Chelsea Cain really found her feet on the glass in that win, picking up nine offensive boards in her 21-rebound total. Should they make it three wins on the spin, Jillian Hayes’ team could finish the Bank Holiday weekend at the top of the table for the first time this season.

Killester, Catalyst Fr. Mathews and Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell fill out the top-half of the Women’s Super League on 2-1 records. Further wins for the trio against Utility Trust St. Paul’s, Trinity Meteors and The Address UCC Glanmire respectively would create definitive separation in the standings at this early stage in the season. 

Arguably the most difficult assignment to call will be the Cork derby between Brunell and Glanmire.

An impressive 20 point display by Ireland U18 international Ava Walshe and another homegrown talent in Kelly Sexton got the Nellies over the line against St. Paul’s in the absence of Lauryn Homan and the departed Jordan Vasquez. Deaja Richardson was impressive on debut and with the return of leading scorer Trinity Hudson – head coach Liam Culloty will be expecting his team to show further progress back on their home floor for a second Sunday in a row. 

It's back-to-back defeats for The Address UCC Glanmire since their win over Trinity Meteors in game week one. They haven’t lost three in succession in more than four years.  Deljanae Williams was the dominant presence during their defeat to SETU Waterford Wildcats, as Callie Cavanaugh couldn’t repeat her 49-point performance from week two.    

At the other end of the table University of Galway Mystics shipped more than 100 points for the second week on the spin in their 112-50 loss to Killester in Clontarf. They will feel that they are in cooler waters on paper at least against Midland Park Portlaoise Panthers, though a boisterous home crowd in Portlaoise will be confident of victory for their side.

Alyssa Velles has continued where she left off last season, while Lynn Tunnah and Amy Dooley are building chemistry in the paint on a weekly basis that should only take another big step forward here to jump to 2-2.

Women's Super League 24-25