Moycullen and Maree square up in opening Superleague derby
THE Men’s Superleague season gets underway this weekend, with a mouth-watering Galway derby to kick things off as Moycullen host Maree in the NUIG Kingfisher on Saturday at 7pm.
Both sides recorded one win apiece in their meetings last season, with both victories coming away from home: Moycullen claimed an 88-63 win on the first day of the season in Calasanctius College; but Maree turned things around to claim a 91-79 win in NUIG in December.
Moycullen did edge the head-to-head last year, knocking Maree out of the Pat Duffy Cup with a 79-71 win in October; and they go in to Saturday’s game as favourites, both due to home advantage, and they fact they defeated Maree in the opening game of the Donie Greene Memorial Tournament in Oranmore last weekend.
“The tournament was ideal to get the games right before the season starts - it took a while to get our preseason up and running, but we are in pretty good shape now,” says Moycullen head coach, John Cunningham.
Moycullen were 71-53 winners over Maree in the shortened game format (eight minute quarters) in last weekend’s tournament, an annual competition held in memory of former Maree player, Donie Greene.
“Our American signing, Isaiah Harris-Winn, was only in last week, so to get three games in to him was very good, it was perfect timing in that way,” said Cunningham.
“We are there and we are ready to go now, and we have the big local derby to kick us off so you have to be focused, and everyone will be focused for that one,” he said.
He admits a preference to have that Galway derby fall later in the season, but says the fact it is the first game up means everyone will be mentally tunerd-in for the start of the season.
“From the point of view of the flow of things, maybe it would be nicer to meet later in the season, but it happens when it happens, it’s not something we can do about it, and it means we have to be focused from the start,” he said.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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