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‘Super League is the goal’ – Rheanne O’Shea says Paul’s are aiming high

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3 years ago

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Coach James Fleming (left) has put together a strong squad that includes Killarney woman Rheanne O'Shea (right).

by Adam Moynihan

National League Division 1

St Paul’s v Limerick Celtics

Saturday at 7.30pm

Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre

Word around town was that St Paul’s had assembled a squad capable of challenging for silverware but no one predicted a 40-point victory away from home in their very first game of the season.

Paul’s are back in the big leagues after a 10-year absence and last weekend’s facile win in Kilkenny against the Marble City Hawks was eye-catching to say the least. American Yuleska Ramirez Tejeda and Canadian Sofia Paska finished with 35 and 23 points respectively for the Killarney outfit as they ran out 82-42 winners. Kerry footballer Lorraine Scanlon chipped in with 11 while veteran Lynn Jones added 9.

With accomplished coach James ‘Boo Boo’ Fleming at the helm, the team are clearly aiming high. They have signed a number of players who previously lined out with St Mary’s, the Castleisland club who withdrew from the Super League last season.

Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser this week local player Rheanne O’Shea said the team’s primary goal is promotion to the top table.

“With the calibre of players we have, winning the league out and getting promoted to the Super League is top of our list of priorities. We have a panel of 14 with players like Lorraine Scanlon, Denise Dunlea, Aisling O’Mahony and Síofra O’Shea coming in. Leah McMahon is on board as well. All these players have experience at international and Super League level.

“This level is really step beneath what a lot of this team are used to. We should be pushing on, while also bringing some of the younger players through as well.

“The club put a lot of work in to assemble a squad and they made a big investment by bringing in two top-class foreign players. They both played in the league last year so they have great experience; Yuleska was probably the league’s best player last season with UL. She’s a guard. And Sofia is 6’5”, she played with the Celtics last season.

“They have both made a massive impression already. We have a well stacked up team.”

Next up is the visit of the Limerick Celtics, a fixture that will mark Paul’s first home game at national level in a decade. O’Shea, who missed last weekend’s match due to football commitments with Dr Crokes, says the Celtics will be a “big ask”.

“Then after a two-week break we have Portlaoise who will be one of the top tier teams this season. We’ll be hoping to build some momentum, starting with this home game on Saturday.”

After a long period with no National League basketball to enjoy, local basketball fans now have three teams to keep track of: St Paul’s in the women’s Division 1 and the Lakers and the Cougars in the men’s. O’Shea and her teammates are hoping to grow a good following, taking the lead of the Lakers who have attracted large crowds to the Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre since returning in 2017.

“The more you’re winning, the more support you’re going to get, the more people are going to come and see what the buzz is about” O’Shea said. “I think moving forward they’re going to try and get the men’s and women’s games on the same night if they can so that will be nice.

 “Hopefully we’ll draw a big crowd this coming Saturday.”

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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2 months 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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2 months 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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