Of all the surprises in last weekend's opening games of the ESB Superleague, the heavy loss suffered by Killester was the most significant. It already seems clear that they won't be the force that won league and cup titles last season.
The loss of coach Mark Ingle and star American John Leahy was always going to require some adjustment, yet new coach Ken Black remains confident that the 12-point loss to UCD Marian won't be repeated too often this season. Only last Tuesday did the full squad get to train together for the first time.
Nevertheless, tomorrow's trip to the Arena to face Notre Dame is far from a soft prospect. Notre Dame are themselves trying to rebound from an opening loss when they let a 15-point lead slip to Neptune, and new Portuguese signing Anire Silva is set to add further to the Notre Dame defence.
With that win over the champions, UCD Marian have already made clear their capabilities. Torian Richards (6ft 9in) is still bound for the south Dublin club, and may yet play in tomorrow's game with Limerick.
After enjoying a comfortable win over Sligo, Limerick have also gained some early confidence. Their new signing, Mario Woodson, who scored 25 points last weekend, already seems like a strong addition.
Elsewhere, Tralee Tigers and Tolka Rovers both seek second successive wins when they meet in Tralee. Rovers scored an incredible 40 points in the first quarter of last week's win over Waterford, mainly through the work of Zedrick Smith and Coy Patterson.
In the women's league, the main interest comes with the Dublin derby of Meteors and Tolka Rovers. Tolka will give a debut to US signing Molly Watson and should have the depth to claim further points.
FIXTURES: Men's Superleague - Tomorrow: UCD Marian v Limerick, 7.10; Tralee v Tolka Rovers, 7.45; Notre Dame v Killester, 7.30; Sligo v Killarney, 7.30; Neptune v Star of the Sea, 8.0; Tyrone v Waterford, 8.0; Sunday: UCD Marian v Star of the Sea, 3.30; St Vincent's v Demons, 3.30.
Women's Superleague - Tomorrow: Meteors v Tolka Rovers, 6.45; University of Limerick v Killester, 7.0; Wildcats v Glanmire, 7.0.
