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Rejuvenated Lakers and improving Cougars to meet in Killarney derby

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4 years ago

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Emilian Grudov (Scotts Lakers) and Nathan Cox (Killarney Cougars).

National League: Division 1

Scotts Lakers v Killarney Cougars

Saturday at 7.30pm

Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre

Killarney's two men's National League teams will go head-to-head on Saturday night as Scotts Lakers and the Killarney Cougars clash at the Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre.

The Lakers are enjoying a mid-to-late-season revival and after last weekend's victory over the Limerick Sport Eagles, they currently find themselves in fifth place in the Southern Conference.

The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs so Jarlath Lee's team are very much in the hunt, but time is running out. Saturday night's meeting with their near neighbours will be their second last game of the regular season. The fact that the fourth placed team, the Limerick Celtics, have two games in hand is also a cause for concern.

All the Lakers can do is win their remaining fixtures and hope for the best.

Reflecting on their most recent victory, coach Jarlath Lee said his team performed well on both sides of the ball.

"We shot the ball really well and we have to give special praise to the team’s defence for keeping one of the league’s top scorers (Manny Payton) to just 17 points.

“David Gleeson was a huge loss for us but the bench really stepped up. Jamie O’Sullivan, Senan O’Leary, Paul Clarke and Marko Benčić all played their part when we really needed them. If I was to be hyper-critical, I'd say we missed a few easy lay-ups, but overall you'd have to be very happy.”

Lee confirmed that Gleeson should be fit again for Saturday’s derby match-up.

COUGARS

The Cougars, meanwhile, are hoping to finish off their debut season at National League level with a flourish. They waited a long time for their first win of the campaign but they were impressive in a pair of recent home wins. Another positive result in their final two fixtures could see them overtake WIT at the foot of the table.

Head coach Ignas Sijanas told the Killarney Advertiser he is looking forward to the challenge that the Lakers are going to bring.

“These kinds of games are always exciting. Derbies are fun. They bring the best out of the players.

“The Lakers a good team, very well-balanced. At the moment they are playing nice basketball. The last game against the Eagles showed how strong they are. Obviously, we are going in as underdogs but we will try to come up with some plans and some ideas. We’ll try to bring a good fight.

“We’re going to bring a different team to the one we had in the first derby game (the Lakers beat the Cougars 89-66 in December). I think we have definitely improved, especially after the two recent wins. That has given us more confidence.

“The season was a big rollercoaster but I’m happy. It’s better to have season like this for the first season. It shows the weaknesses, it shows the strengths, it helps you to see what the team looks like in general. We lost some players. We brought some new players in. It has been a long process for us with some bad moments, but also with some good moments. In general, it was a very positive season in terms of growth and learning and finding our identity as a team.

“The young guys made a step forward, some players built their confidence, and we got Rich Dunham in. I hope we can keep him for next season. And we know exactly what we need to add to look even better next year.”

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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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