Basketball Weekend previews:Tralee Tigers' aspirations of adding the Superleague title to the National Cup they won in January have taken a severe, if not unexpected, blow with the withdrawal of Micheál Quirke and Kieran Donaghy.
Some hope does remain regarding the availability of Donaghy for tomorrow's semi-final against Ballina at the University of Limerick. The dual sports star is serving a GAA suspension, which ends at midnight tomorrow, and has been named in the Kerry football team that travels to Donegal on Sunday - thus ruling himself out of the Superleague final should the Tigers progress. Quirke has been included in the Kerry substitutes.
The loss of leading American Wilder Auguste also seemed a certainty after he was handed a three-game ban for an altercation with a Limerick player and verbals with an official in the last game of the regular season.
However, the Tigers will retain the services of their mercenary if they appeal the suspension. Superleague rules state a player can continue playing if an appeal process is ongoing. Considering the weekend that is in it, it would be unlikely that an appeal committee will convene in the next 48 hours. Auguste is expected to depart the Superleague at the season's end (this Sunday) so it looks like the punishment will be non-existent.
Ballina are at full strength, bar, of course, the long-term absentee Ronan McGarrity, after veteran Liam McHale was passed fit.
The Tigers have already beaten their opponents on two occasions during the campaign.
In the other semi-final Northern Conference champions Killester meet the UCC Demons also at the UL Arena at 7pm. Killester head to Limerick (this is the first time UL have hosted the finals) this weekend with the best record in the regular season although coach Mark Keenan has several problems to address.
"Jerome Westbrook's brother passed away at the weekend in Chicago and Jerome is over there but he was due home on Thursday (yesterday). His son, Isaac, has the flu and missed training at the weekend and again on Monday. We hope he will be okay for Saturday. Our biggest doubt is Craig Walls who went over on his ankle in training at the weekend and has been attending the physio. It is still swollen but Craig is confident he will be ready for Saturday.
"When we played against Demons in Cork we were terrible but we were without Damien Sealy, Jerome and Keith Anderson so hopefully with a full squad we can take them."
Demon's coach Pat Price has great respect for Killester: "Mark Keenan will have his team very prepared, and Damien Sealy's experience always carries great weight in the play-offs. We need to handle their multiple defences and limit the high percentage shots by Burch and Walls if we're to have a shot on Sunday."
FIXTURES: League Finals: Tomorrow: Women's Division One Final - Donoughmore v St Paul's, 12.0. Men's Superleague semi-final - Tralee Tigers v Ballina, 2.30. Men's Division One Final - Tolka Rovers v Moycullen, 4.30. Men's Superleague semi-final - Killester v UCC Demons, 7.0. Sunday: Women's Superleague Final - UL Aughinish v DCU Mercy, 1.0. Men Superleague Final - Winner Semi-final One v Winner Semi-final Two, 3.30.
