National Cup

Jan 21 2022

InsureMyHouse.ie National Cup - Pat Duffy Cup final preview

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors head coach John Dowling say his team “need to be at our best” if they’re to overcome C&S Neptune in the InsureMyHouse.ie National Cup final at the National Basketball Arena on Saturday.

The Kerry club experienced semi-final heartache twice in recent years, only to get past DBS Éanna 79-70 this time round. Their route to the Pat Duffy Cup final also saw them inflict Tradehouse Central Ballincollig’s only defeat of the season in the first round, followed a quarter-final win over Moycullen, before getting past DBS Éanna. Asked how important it is for Garvey’s Tralee Warriors to get back to the Cup final, Dowling said: “It’s like Kerry getting to the All-Ireland final, it’s the same. It doesn’t really matter what sport is played down here, that’s almost the expectation, whatever way people want to look at it there’s always high expectations. It was very important for us, because we want to win everything whether it is the Champions Trophy, the (InsureMyVan.ie Super) League, the Cup, we want to be in contention for everything.”

“Saturday night at the National Basketball Arena for Cup final day is where everyone wants to be. The lads are excited to take to the court, but we are under no illusions as to the task ahead of us. Neptune have assembled a talented group and Colin (O’Reilly) has them playing their brand of basketball. We will need to be at our best and put together a massive team performance if we are to be successful on Saturday night.”

C&S Neptune’s route to the final saw them get first round bye, before winning at Killester and defeating NUIG Maree 103-92 in the semi-finals. They last won the Cup in 2013 and player/coach Colin O’Reilly says there’s huge anticipation around the Cork club ahead of Saturday’s game. “Really excited going into the weekend. There has been a nice buzz within the camp and players are really enjoying their basketball. Cup finals bring their own challenges, however, we have stuck to our process and concentrated on training session ahead of us each night. It’s an achievement to get to this stage and our goal is to perform on the night and see where it takes us.”