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Mixed fortunes for St Paul’s in Week 1 of new National League season

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1 year ago

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The St Paul's Scotts Lakers squad who travelled to Carlow to take on SETU Carlow.

The St Paul’s men’s and women’s teams got their respective National League Division 1 campaigns up and running with a double-header in Carlow on Sunday last and they came home to Killarney with one impressive win and one disappointing yet encouraging defeat.

The Utility Trust St Paul’s ladies overcame the hosts, SETU Carlow, on an emphatic scoreline of 83-50 with new American signing Jess Huber racking up a whopping 35 points. Coach James Fleming was without the services of several GAA-tied players like Rheanne O’Shea, Leah McMahon, Lorraine Scanlon, Denise Dunlea and Cliona Coffey so the manner of the victory will no doubt be encouraging to him and his backroom team.

Huber dropped in 14 first-quarter points as the home team struggled to keep in touch early on. They trailed by 14 at half-time (40-26) and with Niamh Ní Chonchúir, Alexa Naessens and Lynn Jones to the fore, the Killarney side accelerated even further ahead in the second half.

When Huber nailed the final basket of the game – a three-pointer – Paul’s led by 33 points. The squad can be pleased with this opening day win; it serves as an early marker of their intentions for the 2023/24 season.

ST PAUL’S SCORERS: Jess Huber 35, Alexa Naessens 12, Niamh Ní Chonchúir 10, Lynn Jones 9, Meabh Barry 7, Mary Kate Smith 7, Tara Donnellan 3.

LAKERS

The St Paul’s men’s team, operating under the Scotts Lakers banner, also took on SETU Carlow on Sunday but they were unable to make it a double as they fell to a 12-point defeat (99-87).

Despite losing, the away team played with a competitive spirit, structure and purpose that could have led to a more fruitful outcome. They trailed by 11 points at half-time (61-50) but they came back into contention by the end of the third with new signings Terion Moss (25 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) and Braden Bell (28 points, 8 rebounds) leading the way.

The deficit was just three points in the closing seconds of the period when a controversial buzzer-beater, plus a free throw, was awarded to Carlow.

Now trailing by six, the Lakers fought hard at the start of the fourth quarter, but the home side managed to plough ahead and capture the points.

Nevertheless it was a positive enough start for the Lakers with several young local players showing what they’re capable of. Jack O’Sullivan scored 13 points, Paul Clarke played a captain’s role and Jamie O’Sullivan also caught the eye. Ronan Collins will have benefitted from his first outing in a while and Mark Sheehan and Eoin O’Carroll added to their burgeoning reputations. Young Chris Healy made his National League debut while Oisín Spring again saw court time.

SCOTTS LAKERS SCORERS: Braden Bell 28, Terion Moss 25, Jack O’Sullivan 13, Paul Clarke 7, Jamie O’Sullivan 7, Eoin O’Carroll 6, Ronan Collins 1.

SATURDAY

Both St Paul’s teams are in action at home at the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre on Saturday. The St Paul’s ladies host the Limerick Celtics 4.30pm and the Lakers will take on the Limerick Sport Eagles at the same venue at 7.30pm.

The Eagles will be a tough assignment; they have brought in Da’Kquan Davis and Keelen Coats, two quality players who combined for 68 points in their opening night win over the Titans.

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Numbers Game: How Kerry can reach league final – or get relegated for first time in 24 years

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3 days ago

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22 March 2025

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by Adam Moynihan

Men’s NFL Division 1

Galway v Kerry

Sunday 3.45pm

Salthill

Live on TG4 YouTube

Kerry travel to Galway on Sunday knowing that defeat could well consign them to relegation for the first time since 2001. Win and they could be Croker-bound. It’s that tight heading into the final day of Division 1 of the National Football League. Anything could happen.

Let’s get the lay of the land before we wade into the murky waters of permutations. We currently have a three-way tie at the top of the table with Galway, Dublin and Donegal all level on eight points. Next up are Mayo on seven, followed by Kerry on six, Armagh and Tyrone on five, and already-relegated Derry on one.

PWDLPDPts
1Galway6321178
2Dublin640288
3Donegal640248
4Mayo6312-37
5Kerry6303116
6Tyrone621305
7Armagh6213-85
8Derry6015-291

In the seventh and final round of the league, Galway play Kerry, Mayo are at home to Donegal, Armagh host Derry, and Tyrone welcome Dublin to Healy Park, Omagh. All four matches are being played simultaneously at 3.45pm on Sunday.

So, who will be joining the Oak Leafers in Division 2 in 2026?

If Kerry lose they will remain on six points, which means that if Armagh and Tyrone both win, they will move onto seven points, relegating the Kingdom. However, if Kerry lose they will stay up if one or both of Armagh or Tyrone lose.

If Kerry lose and either Armagh or Tyrone draw and the other win, Kerry are safe on the head-to-head rule. If Kerry lose and both Armagh and Tyrone draw, there will be a three-way tie on six points. In this event, points difference will come into play, and Kerry will survive if they lose to Galway by less than 20.

If Kerry draw with Galway, they will almost certainly be safe. Such a result would move them up to seven points, and even if Armagh and Tyrone both win, Kerry’s superior points difference would, barring an incredible set of results, see them over the line. Kerry are currently on +11 with Armagh on -8 and Tyrone breaking even on zero. So Armagh would need to beat Derry by 20 points and Tyrone would need to beat Dublin by 12 for them both to overtake Kerry.

Now, let’s fix our gaze upwards rather than down. A place in the league final is also on the cards – if all those cards fall kindly.

If Kerry win, they will wind up on eight points, guaranteeing their status as a Division 1 team for the 24th year in a row. If they win by three points (or more), that’s where things get interesting. Such a margin of victory would see them overtake their direct opponents, Galway, on ‘points for’ (if they win by three) or ‘overall points difference’ (if they win by more than three).

It would also guarantee that they would slip in between Mayo and Donegal, with the winner of that game moving into first, and the loser missing out on the league final. (A draw would be enough for Donegal, but not enough for Mayo.)

Kerry’s fate (again, if they win) would then depend on the result in the Tyrone v Dublin game. If Dublin win, they will advance to the league final. If Dublin draw, they will advance to the league final. But if Dublin lose, they will be passed out by Kerry, and Jack O’Connor’s men will sneak into the Croke Park decider via the side entrance.

That would be a remarkable turn of events considering the team’s spotty form up to this point, but the main priority will simply be to win and ensure survival. Anything on top of that would be a hard-earned bonus.

Tyrone v Dublin will be shown on TG4 with all other Division 1 and Division 2 games available live on the TG4 YouTube channel.

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Spa GAA Club unveil hi-tech solar panels

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3 days ago

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22 March 2025

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This week has seen Spa GAA swap their traditional blue and gold colours to go green, all for the sake of climate change and the environment.

In partnership with solar energy specialist REC Ireland they have just installed a 28.5 kW Solar PV system at their club grounds in Tullig.

The system, comprising 60 PV panels and supported by 10 kW battery storage, is mounted on the south-facing roof of their multi-purpose sports hall. It represents a state-of-the-art installation and it comes on foot of the club being one of the first GAA club recipients of Kerry County Council’s Climate Action Grant Scheme, launched in 2024.

“This is a hugely positive initiative in terms of reducing our on-site carbon footprint, promoting renewable energy and reducing our dependency on oil and gas,” club chairman Tadhg Hickey said.

In a further sign of Spa’s commitment to the green agenda, the club have recently been shortlisted as the only GAA club in Kerry in the Shared Island Sports Club Electrical Vehicle charging scheme, under which funding is provided to install a network of publicly accessible chargers for communities through local sports clubs.

Along with ramping up public EV charging facilities in local communities, the scheme offers significant potential for clubs to generate income, and is another example of the positive contribution of sports clubs in their locality.

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