Domino's Men's Super League Round Six Preview

Domino’s Men’s Super League leaders Limerick Eagles take a trip to tenth place UCD Marian in round six, as defending Domino’s Men’s Super League champions Ballincollig host UCC Demons in a Cork derby. The in-form Belfast Star welcome EJ Sligo All-Stars to the Newforge Sports Complex, while Limerick Celtics travel to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors in an all-Munster affair. Killester will look to get back to winning ways against Energywise Ireland Neptune following two recent league losses, and bottom of the table St Vincent’s host eleventh place Griffith College Éanna. 

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors v Limerick Celtics, Friday 20:00, Kerry Sports Academy 

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors climbed to fifth in the Domino’s Men’s Super League, following a dramatic 105-101 win over Energywise Ireland Neptune. Tralee Warriors built an eight-point first-quarter lead before extending it to 20 in the third. Adam Drummond’s Neptune fought back in the final quarter, outscoring Tralee 34-25, but the early damage was done as Tralee secured a four-point victory. 

Limerick Celtics maintained their third-place position in the Domino’s Men’s Super League, after an explosive 98-79 win over UCD Marian. Limerick Celtics took a seven-point advantage in the first quarter, before extending that lead to eight at half-time. UCD Marian struggled to bridge the gap, allowing Limerick Celtics to get to a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter.  

Alec Millender and Jaden Daughtry have combined for 219 points so far this season, guiding the Kerry side to a top five placement. Limerick Celtics’ Tiras Morton leads the league in assists and rebounds, as Sebastian Cole sits atop of the club's scoring leaderboard with 100 points.  

UCD Marian v Limerick Eagles, Saturday 19:00, UCD Sports Complex 

UCD Marian took a heavy defeat to Limerick Celtics in week five, where the Dublin side coughed up 22 turnovers to Celtics’ six. The loss dropped UCD Marian to tenth in the Domino’s Men’s Super League, with two wins and three losses. Isaiah Taylor has led UCD in scoring with 120 points, as Tanner Graham has held his ground defensively with 11 blocks and 42 rebounds in five rounds. 

“Unfortunately, the double header weekend was very disappointing - first because we lost both games and our performance in the second game versus Celtics was very poor, and secondly because the injuries we had. Christian Alexander was injured before the Belfast game, and he will be out another for four weeks and Tanner Graham was injured in the end of the Belfast game, leading him to play the Celtics game injured. Having our two pros injured in this league is extremely difficult to be competitive,” said UCD Marian head coach Ioannis Liapakis. “This weekend we’re playing the top of the league Limerick Eagles.  They’re scoring extremely high numbers and they’re the surprise of the season so far. They have four great professionals and Ryan Leonard who makes the dig difference. It will be another difficult task for us and we’re going to do our best to be competitive and fight for every possession.” 

Limerick Eagles have only lost one contest this year, as they sit top of the Domino’s Men’s Super League with a 4-1 record. After a derby loss to Limerick Celtics, the Eagles got back on the horse with a 96-65 win over EJ Sligo All-Stars in round five. Alex Carlisle is joint leading the league in points this season, with 125, as Tobias Christensen joins Tiras Morton atop of the assist leaderboard with 29.  

Belfast Star v EJ Sligo All-Stars, Saturday 20:00, Newforge Sports Complex 

Belfast Star held their second-place position in round five of the Domino’s Men’s Super League after a 101-87 win over Griffith College Éanna. Belfast Star exploded for 37 first-quarter points before Éanna battled back to level at 72-72 heading into the fourth. However, Star pulled away in the final period to secure a 14-point victory. 

EJ Sligo All-Stars dropped from fifth to ninth place, following their 31-point loss to Limerick Eagles in round five. Limerick Eagles raced to a 27-11 first-quarter lead and held their 16-point advantage into the second half. Despite EJ Sligo All-Stars 20-point third quarter, the Eagles extended the gap to 33 points in the final minute. 

Jordan Green and Shane Bell have proved to be vital players in Adrian Fulton’s system, combining for 197 points in five games, as Irish international Rapolas Buivydas averages 17 points per game. EJ Sligo All-Stars summer signing Liam Murphy has racked up 97 points so far, as Albright Obode has claimed 54 rebounds – the third highest in the league. 

St Vincent’s v Griffith College Éanna, Saturday 20:00, St Vincent’s Glasnevin 

St Vincent’s remain winless after five games in the Domino’s Men’s Super League, with their recent defeat coming against UCC Demons. The Glasnevin side are averaging over 84 points-per-game but are also conceding more than 100 points per game on average.  

Griffith College Éanna only sit one position higher than St Vincent’s in eleventh place, following a fifth-round defeat to Belfast Star. Gareth Winders’ team currently sit with a 1-4 record, with their only win coming against Garvey’s Tralee Warriors in round two. Éanna’s second round win as been surrounded by large defeats, losing to Limerick Eagles by 30 points, Ballincollig by 25 points and UCC Demons by 17 points. 

Scott Stone has hit the ground running for St Vincent’s, joint leading the Domino’s Men’s Super League scoring with 125 points. Morgan Taylor has been a valuable asset to Winders’ side, racking up 86 points in five games, as Irishman Cathal O’Sullivan averages 15 points-per-game.  

Ballincollig v UCC Demons, Sunday 15:00, MTU Arena 

Defending Domino’s Men’s Super League champions got back to winning ways over the double-header weekend, beating Griffith College Éanna and Killester. In their recent contest with Killester, Ballincollig led by six at half-time, with Adrian O’Sullivan and AJ Williams combining for 27 points. Killester fought back to level the game early in the fourth, but Ballincollig responded with six unanswered points to secure an 84-79 win.

UCC Demons climbed to seventh in the Domino’s Men’s Super League following a 94-74 win over St Vincent’s. Asanti Price has been the main man for Demons, tallying up 25 points in their recent contest. St. Vincent’s led by one after the first quarter, but UCC Demons dominated the second, outscoring the visitors by 11 points. Demons maintained their advantage after the break to secure a 94-74 win. 

“The team really responded well since the Sligo defeat in round two and battled hard against Belfast,” said UCC Demons head coach Stuart Rodgers. “Local derbies are always tricky, and it was a one possession game in the end against Neptune. I think the lads really responded on Monday against Vincent's.” 

“Ballincollig are a really aggressive side right now with their new signings AJ Williams and Zach Davis, and their Irish guys playing really well so we’ve got to be ready for another derby dog fight on Sunday and execute if we have any chance of coming away with a result. We are looking forward to the challenge and another derby game,” added Rodgers. 

Killester v Energywsie Ireland Neptune, Sunday 15:00, National Basketball Arena 

Killester dropped from second to fourth over the double-header weekend, losing to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors at the buzzer and to Ballincollig in Clontarf. Mike Olson’s side began the campaign going 3-0 and will look to get back to winning ways on Sunday in the National Basketball Arena.  

Energywise Ireland Neptune have steadied the ship following their 0-2 start, rising to eighth place in the Domino’s Men’s Super League. Derby delights against Ballincollig and UCC Demons gave Neptune back-to-back wins, but a narrow four-point loss to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors ended Adam Drummond’s winning streak. 

Josh Wilson has caught fire for Killester, scoring 103 points for the season and finding one double-double against UCD Marian. Sam Smith and Sean McCarthy have both breached the 100-point threshold for the season already, as Jalen Hodge follows closely behind with 96.