Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell face Trinity Meteors in eagerly anticipated Domino’s Women’s Super League clash

It is a battle of second vs third in the Domino’s Women’s Super League, as Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell host Trinity Meteors with both sides looking to close in on the top spot.

Both sides had strong starts followed by small hiccups this season with Brunell being handed two losses by FloMAX Liffey Celtics in the last month between cup and league. Brunell have since rebounded with wins over Catalyst Fr. Mathews and Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers. For Trinity, behind the form of Irish international Hazel Finn, they had a three-game winning streak halted by a defeat against UCC Glanmire in their last WSL game. They managed to recover well with a 15-point victory in the quarter-finals last weekend against McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles. Brunell coach Liam Culloty was eager for the matchup ahead of this weekend.

“Meteors are coming off of a great month with Seamas (Donnelly) winning coach of the month and Hazel (Finn) adding player of the month. They have quite a lot of offensive weapons and some great young players so it is going to be a great game I’m sure. We are really looking forward to the challenge” - Liam Culloty, Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell head coach

At the other end of the table, it's eighth against ninth with FloMAX Liffey Celtics hosting Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers. Liffey started their cup defence last weekend with a win against Brunell. Their league form has been slowly rebuilding two wins in their last four after starting the season 0-4. For Portlaoise, they have been winless  since they opened the campaign with a victory over Catalyst Fr. Mathews. It has been six losses on the bounce for the Panthers. A win for the Laois side would bring them level with Liffey and could be a crucial kickstart to a strong Christmas period.

League leaders Killester suffered their first defeat of the season recently against Trinity, but have since regained their undefeated level of play with a cup win over Waterford and a 14-point triumph over Killarney the week before. This weekend, they will host McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles. Eagles have had a promising start to their life in the Domino's Women’s Super League with a record of 3-4 so far. A win for Cavan here could see them go level with teams as high as fifth, depending on other results. Killester’s head coach Mark Grennell is wary of the promoted side, but remains confident.

“Cavan have been a breath of fresh air this season. They have a great style of play with great Irish talent along with two classy Americans. We are looking forward to the challenge. We have been up and down recently within the games themselves, we are looking to set a higher standard throughout the games to try and reach the next level we believe is there” - Mark Grennell, Killester head coach

Killester head coach Mark Grennell

SETU Waterford Wildcats suffered a heavy loss to Killester last weekend in the Domino's WSL National Cup. But in a return to the Domino’s Women’s Super League, they have won two of their last three and sit in sixth. However, a win this weekend at home to the winless Catalyst Fr. Mathews would see them catapult themselves into possible title contention. Fr. Mathews have endured a tough season to date at the bottom of the table at 0-7. Fr. Mathews will be looking to quickly shore up a defence that has given up almost 80 points per game so far.  Both sides will be desperate to grab a win, but for very different reasons.

Utility Trust St. Paul's Killarney have managed to work their way into title contention with two victories in their last three fixtures to get to a 5-2 record to stay on pace with the likes of Trinity and Brunell. The County Kerry outfit will hope to go a step further and close in on Killester when they host fifth-placed UCC Glanmire in Aura on Saturday. Glanmire have really found their feet after starting 0-2 this season, winning four of their last five. St. Paul's coach James Fleming is aware of the scale of challenge ahead this weekend.

“Looking forward to this weekend. Glanmire have been the benchmark for ladies basketball for decades. They are a great club with a great culture and have a super coach. They have been the form team over the past few weeks and their Irish players are beginning to gel. It is a good match up for both sides and hopefully we can get back to how we were performing like we were in October.” - James Fleming, Utility Trust St. Paul's Killarney Head Coach

All Domino's Women’s Super League and Domino's Women's Division One games will be shown live on BITV.

Fixtures

Domino’s Women’s Super League

Saturday 13^th December

Utility Trust St. Paul's Killarney v UCC Glanmire, Aura, 4pm

Killester v McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles, IWA, 5pm

Trinity Meteors v Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell, Colaiste Iosagain, 5:30pm

FloMAX Liffey Celtics v Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers, Leixlip Amenities Centre, 6pm

SETU Waterford Wildcats v Catalyst Fr. Mathews, Mercy College, 7pm

Domino’s Women’s Division One

Saturday 13^th December

Moy Tolka Rovers v University of Galway Mystics, Tolka Rovers Sports Complex, 5pm

Swords Thunder v Limerick Sports Huskies, ALSAA, 5:30pm

Clunetech Kilkenny Stars v Dublin Raiders, O’Loughlin Gaels, 6pm

Sunday 14^th December

Abbey Seals Dublin Lions v Limerick Celtics, Colaiste Bride, 3:30pm