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Battling Lakers come up short against league leaders Demons

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4 years ago

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Scotts Lakers star Emilian Grudov. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.

by Enda Walshe

National League Division 1
Scotts Lakers 71 UCC Demons 92
Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre

While the result might paint the picture of a one-sided game, it belies the fact that for long periods the home side gave as good as they got against the table-toppers from across the county bounds.

Indeed, early in the second half when Senan O’Leary drained two consecutive three pointers to make it a seven-point game, there was a definite whiff of a competitive game in the air, However, Demons player Stefan Manojovic put any hopes of a home win to bed with four three pointers in the third quarter and the Lakers could not get within touching distance again.

There is no denying that Demons were full value for their win with Kyle Hosford conducting the orchestra, but what could not be hidden was the way the Lakers went about the game as they battled all the way to the end.

It is widely acknowledged that Demons are a Super League team in waiting and though they were slow to settle, they eventually got going in the second part of the opening quarter. Only Jamie O’Sullivan and Rui Saravia got on the scoresheet for the Lakers as Tala Fam Thiam and Hosford helped Demons to a 23-8 lead.

The presence of Paul Clarke, who was still nursing an injury, coincided with Lakers’ best periods as his defence and reading of the game made a big difference. He was central to one of the scores of the night with slick passing seeing Ben Miller laying up and completing a three-point play. With O’Sullivan and Daniel Carroll on song, the Lakers stayed in touch at the break, trailing 31-43.

The Lakers’ cause wasn't helped by a facial injury to top scorer Emilian Grudov. He sat out a lot of the first half and his influence on the game was never really significant thereafter.

The third quarter saw Demons extend their lead to 23 points, despite the best efforts of Saravia (who had his best outing to date), Miller and O’Leary.

A notable introduction to National League basketball came in the shape of 17-year-old Luke Crowley, son of Kerry GAA legend Johnny, and he set about his task with gusto. He was later joined by the highly rated Jack O’Sullivan for his home debut.

Baskets from Grudov, Clarke, Miller and two further three pointers from O’Leary meant the Lakers kept their tempo going to the very end. On reflection it can be noted they outscored their illustrious opponents in the second and fourth quarters.

It's nights like these that the young players learn from and the big home support could fully see and appreciate the wholehearted effort of the squad.

“We played well in periods but at other times we might have held onto the ball for too long, and defensively at times communication was lacking,” head coach Jarlath Lee said.

“This is a process with such a young team, it will take time. But we will get there.”

The Lakers are on the road again on November 27 as they travel to Portlaoise looking to avenge their cup defeat at the hands of the Panthers. The next home game sees Limerick Sport Eagles visit the Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre on Saturday, December 11.

SCOTTS LAKERS: Ben Miller (16), Rui Saravia (15), Senan O’Leary (14), Jamie O’Sullivan (10), Emilian Grudov (7), Daniel Carroll (5), Paul Clarke (4), Lorcan Keane, Mark Sheehan, Jack O’Sullivan, Jason Lee.

UCC DEMONS TOP SCORERS: Tala Fam Thiam (26), Kyle Hosford (17), Stefan Manojovic (14).

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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4 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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4 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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