Bord Gais Neptune make a long awaited return to the big stage when they face reigning Nivea For Men’s SuperLeague champions 11890 Killester in the 2011 final at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght on Sunday.
In the IrishSport.TV Women's Superleague decider, UL make their first final appearance in four years when they take on holders Team Montenotte Hotel Cork.
Bord Gais Neptune have defied the odds to reach their first league final since 2003 but will have to perform to their maximum if they are to inflict further woe on 11890 Killester.
The famous Cork club finished the season in third place in the Southern Conference but it was their exploits in the play-off's that will worry their Dublin opponents.
In the quarter finals they emerged from a daunting trip to DCU Saints with an 83-69 win, while in the semi finals they stunned southern conference champions UL eagles by a solitary basket (90-88).
Despite being the holder of the underdog tag for Sunday’s final, they only have to look to January when UCD Marian upset the form book by beating Killester in the National Cup final.
On top of that, their run-in to the end of the season have seen the likes of former Killester star Michael Bonaparte, Ger Noonan and Phil Taylor enjoy their best form of the campaign.
‘Balanced scoring, disruptive defence and self-belief have been among the primary influences to our recent run,’ said Neptune coach Pat Price. ‘There is great communication within the team, and an understanding of what we are trying to execute. Mainly, the lads just really enjoy competing. They are having fun, and they want it to continue.
‘Killester have a wealth of talent and experience un-matched in the country,’ added Price. ‘Fellas like John Behan are having the best years of their career. Obviously Jermaine Turner's influence on the game will have a bearing on the result. We will need to have a very special day to defeat them, but this team has grown to embrace the underdog tag.’
For 11890 Killester, this game represents an opportunity to end the season on a high after their treble hopes were dashed by UCD Marian in January.
The Dubliners have refused to let the shock loss to the students derail their campaign and they have bounced back to claim the Northern Conference and demolish Belfast star 96-67 in their recent play off semi final.
However, they will enter Tallaght with caution on Sunday after their two previous affairs with Neptune ended in close affairs.
In October, they secured a comfortable 103-84 win over Neptune, but just one point separated (63-62 in favour of Killester) the sides when they met in January.
‘Neptune have showed over the last three weeks just how good they are,’ said Killester coach Mark Keenan.
‘They managed to beat Star in Belfast, DCU Saints in their quarter final in Dublin, and then beating UL Eagles in Limerick on Saturday night in their semi-final. Beating UL on their home patch is a very difficult thing to do.
‘I’m not surprised at all with these results because they have a very talented squad of players. Michael Bonaparte has been there before with ourselves and is a big game player,’ added Keenan.
'They have great experience also with Michael McGinn, Ger Noonan, Phil Taylor and Gary Walsh. Young Jermaine Kamara is improving with every game and is a fine athlete. Pat Price has installed great confidence in his players and they are playing with great belief in themselves. We must come on Sunday with the right mindset.’
Neptune were last crowned league champions in 2003, while 11890 Killester have featured in the last five league finals. Killester have been successful in three of them, while their only defeats came against Tralee Tigers in 2008 and UCC Demons a year later.
Team Montenotte Hotel Cork are just one game away from retaining the league title they won in style last season but they face a mammoth task against an in-form UL.
UL may be making their first final appearance in four years but they are unlikely to be fazed by the big occasion after a run of 11 consecutive league wins and a squad that possesses real talent.
The Limerick side have made the perfect response since being dumped out of the cup by DCU Mercy in December, claiming the regular season crown but it is the prize on Sunday that will be of greater interest to coach James Weldon and his players.
His squad includes the likes of Rachel Vanderwal (Great Britain), Natalie Taylor (former New Zealand Olympian) and Irish international Michelle Fahy, while experienced duo Fiona Scally and Louise Galvin have demoralized many an opponent this season.
UL’s only defeat in the league came at the hands of their opponents on Sunday, when they suffered a 58-55 defeat in November, but they atoned for that loss in February when they beat Mark Scannell’s charges 87-52 in the UL Sports Arena.
‘We have Rachel (Vanderwal) and Natalie (Taylor) and we will be able to showcase a different team than the squad that lost to Montenotte in the Regular Season,’ said Weldon.
‘The Cup game against DCU came too soon for us as we were still a new team coming together. Of course it takes time to gel and unfortunately we weren’t able to get the win on that occasion.
‘Losing a cup game that early in the season really taught us a lot about our team and ourselves as individuals as well as creating a long waiting period in January. However, the players managed to band together and we became a tighter group as a result of the defeat and it made the team hungrier for the title victory.
‘We have set ourselves certain targets and our main goal is to perform on Sunday and hopefully bring the trophy back to UL.’
Montenotte appeared set for a transitional season when many of their stars departed pre-season but once again the Cork side have delivered another top class campaign.
Head coach Mark Scannell and his players have come up trumps and his faith in youth has seen his side reach a National Cup and league final this season.
They may have suffered the agony of a cup final loss to DCU Mercy in January but they bounced back to beat the Dubliners in their semi final and reach their fourth consecutive league final.
Their achievement is all the more considerable giving the injury blow to Marie Breen prior to their semi final last weekend.
‘We are a lot smaller without Marie so we had to extend our defense and put more pressure up the floor,’ said Scannell. ‘The girls did well in her absence and proved that they can step into leadership roles when some of her experience is missing.
‘We took a lot of risks that paid off in the end and we did a lot of things differently for this game than we did at the Cup final.
‘To be honest, I don’t think anyone could have coped with the losses that we have had this season and still done so well. We have some wonderful talent overseas but we haven’t dwelt on what could have been and instead focused on what we have.
‘The fact we are going for our fourth SuperLeague title is a great achievement.’
