Preview: Enda Walshe
Utility Trust St Pauls will have spent the week clearing their heads following an opening day baptism of fire against Liffey Celtics.
The Kildare side will be contenders for all the major honours this season and they certainly gave a signal of their intent with a strong showing in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre.
And while the scoreline suggests a landslide victory, you would do well to remember it was St Pauls who had the better of the opening 15 minutes, only to be undone in the middle third of the game as the Celtics put on a clinic.
The spirit never waned in James Fleming side and they will be looking to bring that vibe into Monday night’s battle with UCC in Glanmire.
The Cork side is going through a period of transition after a couple of departures in the summer but coach Mark Scannell has shown himself to be a master rebuilder when it comes to getting the house back in order.
Central of course to any rebuild will be the legendary Aine McKenna. The Duagh native has been a fixture with the club since her days in UCC and in 16 seasons she has accumulated an incredible 18 major honours. The Irish international is still turning on the style, exemplified by her 20 points in the opening day win over Trinity Meteors.
Having lost Amy Dooley to Portlaoise, Simeone O’Shea to St Pauls and Louise Scannell to Limerick Celtics, Mark Scannell has procured the signing of Emer Dunne from Carlow and Aoife Morrissey from Limerick Celtics. Annalise Murphy, Miariam Loughrey, Mia Furlong and Sinead O’Reilly are still central to all efforts, best exemplified by Loughrey’s match winning contribution against Meteors.
St Pauls will, of course, be boosted by the returning trio of Lorraine Scanlon, team captain Denise Dunlea and Siofra O’Shea. All three were GAA tied last weekend and their inclusion will offer coach James Fleming plenty of options, if he chooses.
Megan Ormiston really gave her all against that imposing Celtics defence and her 20 points were well crafted. Gracen Kerr and Anja Marinkovic showed silhouettes of their qualities and will be keen to expand on those.
Rheanne O’Shea never gave up that fight last weekend while the likes of Leah McMahon and Simeone O’Shea will be integral to the fast moving game plan.
Lynn Jones’ know-how will again be important this time out with Meabh Barry always a battling presence.
Queralt Almasque will have learned from her debut and with a full hand to pick from, the onus will be to maintain a high intensity throughout the 40 minutes.
Glanmire have been league champions as recently as 2023 but, at this stage of the season, they may still be trying to embed their new players into the squad ethos.
St Pauls will be keen to bounce back and improve on that opening day performance. On what might usually be a boring Monday night in October you could find yourself in worse places than the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre.
It’s the battle of friends Mark Scannell and James Fleming, it’s Cork vs Kerry and nobody wants to give an inch. Tip-off is 8pm.
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