Portadown pack the power

BUCCANEERS and Portadown are not without their admirers in this division. Buccaneers have gone about proving that marriage can sometimes work even between polarised partners - Ballinasloe and Athlone - while Portadown, embracing the professional era, have succeeded in using their financial clout to build a team with ambitions beyond the confines of Division Three - and Division Two for that matter.

Such unbridled ambition may seem gauche, but Portadown know what they want. Winning Division Four last year, losing only one game, and winning the Ulster League may have indicated that there was enough there as it stood for the Ulster town to build on. Not a bit of it.

Over the summer recruitment has been heavy, with at least eight new faces appearing on the senior panel. Second row Davy Tweed, scrum-half Andy Matchette and out-half Stuart Laing are among the imports, leaving the other clubs in the division looking on with trepidation.

Buccaneers have grown since they came to the realisation that the way forward was to smooth out the differences between the two rival towns and move forward as one.

Fifth from bottom last year Buccaneers have travelled badly in the past. However, they have lost only one AlL match at home in the last two years.

Kenny Tarrant, their Kiwi director of coaching, has an experienced pack and a young back line to gel together. They'll certainly be looking for one of the top two promotional places on offer. A small improvement away from their two home grounds at Keane Park and Moher could have a dramatic effect on their overall showing.

However, it's far from a two-horse race with Bohemians also throwing their competitive hat into the ring. With wins this year against Cork Con and Shannon, there is no need for the Limerick side to feel overshadowed. They bare another team tipped to hold their own against Portadown.

With three University sides in the division, it is not short on colour. UCD have been filleted of their best players over the summer, while Trinity and Queen's will be finding their feet after gaining promotion last year. It is not unusual for student teams to have to rebuild from almost scratch and after UCD's 21-19 colours win over their neighbours last week at Donnybrook, Trinity may well feel queasy about their chances against heavier opposition on wet, heavy ground.

Queen's, along with Bangor, have injury worries and very little depth to their squad. Much will depend on who they can actually get on to the pitch. Bangor will also have to do without their international centre Mark McCall, who finally moved from his home club to the more professional setup at first division Dungannon.

They are also likely to go into their first game without scrum-half Robert Scott, out-half Neil Powderly, hooker Neil Rainey and centre Garth Maxwell. Prop Glen Cully is also hoping to recover from a serious foot injury sustained while in the US.

The focus of several of the clubs including Galway's Corinthians, Galwegians, the university sides and Waterpark seems to be to consolidate their positions. A slide into Division Four, particularly in the light of calls from many factions to reduce the numbers of teams competing in the AlL, is to be avoided.