Basketball:We didn't believe Kieran Donaghy last week when he modestly claimed a temporary refocus on basketball wouldn't yield much court time. Perhaps he was attempting to quell the impending storm that will blow his way in the lead up to Sunday's Superleague Cup Final against the UCC Demons at the National Arena.
The implication was that several months travelling in the wake of Kerry's All-Ireland success and the honing of football skills would be detrimental to his first love.
Scratch that theory because an allegedly rusty Donaghy finished with 18 points last Saturday as the Tralee Tigers overcame St Paul's, Killarney, 107-100 in the Kerry derby. American import Dave Fanning also maintained his excellent season with 31 points.
What makes Donaghy such a devastating full forward for Kerry is the ability to transfer basketball nuances to grass fields. Be that fielding, movement or handling.
How St Paul's must have wished Antonio Cool could have delivered a 35-point contribution a week previously, instead, he served up an anonymous display for the live television cameras as the Demons progressed to the cup final at their expense.
The Demons are marginal favourites to achieve a fourth cup title in five years after maintaining their current hot streak with an 88-72 demolition of the Limerick Lions on Sunday although coach Pat Price disagrees with the assumption.
"I believe we are the underdogs. Tralee are playing superbly at present. Defensively we are really hitting our stride. The guys seem to like the style of play we have adopted since December. It also helps that a crippling run of injuries is beginning to sort itself out."
The one remaining concern is captain Tim O'Halloran who will undergo intensive physio this week on a pulled back muscle. One major positive was Shane Coughlan starting his first game since sustaining a broken thumb.
Price showed a ruthless streak before Christmas with an overhaul of the Demons foreign players - a brave or foolhardy move depending on subsequent results. The performance of Leshon Sheffield and Niall Murphy in the cup semi-final justified the mid- season departures.
"It wasn't working. The fella's we have brought in have fitted into our system. That is always the important point when integrating players into a team. They can play both ends so our game has tightened up as a result."
The Americans will have their say but cup finals tend to be decided by the supporting role played by the Irish. Is Coughlan fit enough? Can Donaghy or maybe Micheal Quirke influence proceedings? "We have faced Tralee in numerous big games over the past three years so we know their players. They are coming in with a lot of momentum due to the hype generated by Donaghy's return. I rate Kieran as a super player and a super kid but we will not be changing our game plan for just one player."
