After Suffering two defeats in two days last weekend, Tralee basketball club have opted not to bring in a second foreign player for the rest of the season and so have little chance of qualifying for the Top Six Championship.
Prior to last weekend's double defeat, Tralee had lined up Benji Tate Junior to partner free-scoring Roscoe Patterson, but the losses to Neptune and St Vincent's now leave them joint bottom of the Superleague table.
Considering the financial problems that Tralee had at the start of the campaign, the decision is understandable, but it means that they will certainly struggle for the remainder of the season on the evidence of their performances last Friday and Sunday. The fact that there is probably going to be no relegation at the end of the current campaign undoubtedly had a bearing on Tralee's decision.
The Kerry club are not alone in playing with a depleted squad these days. Their near neighbours, Killarney, failed to entice a former player, American Raymond Foster, back to the club after previously letting him go in favour of another American, Toriand Edwards, a fortnight ago. However, Edwards did not meet their requirements and, not surprisingly, Foster had moved on, perhaps unhappy with being released directly after assisting Killarney in their superb recent win over Notre Dame.
Like Tralee and Killarney, Top Six candidate Dungannon are also struggling to fill the void left when they let Todd McNeill go a fortnight ago as they prepare to host second-placed Notre Dame tomorrow night.
In last Saturday's league defeat in Clontarf, the Tyrone men simply ran out of energy in the closing stages and were heavily dominated under the boards by Killester's Mike Trimmer in the second half. In view of the difficulties experienced by so many league clubs in signing new foreign players so late in the season, Notre Dame must feel relieved to have replaced the injured Anthony Jenkins with American Daniel Johnson, who played in the comeback victory over Marian last Saturday night. Johnson, a 28-year-old from Louisianna, showed signs of jet lag in that match, having only flown in a few hours before the tip-off. However, although he only scored 12 points, his all-round contribution was impressive enough for the club to commit themselves to signing him for the rest of the season.
Two points ahead of Notre Dame are the league leaders, Star of the Sea, who will face Marian at home on Sunday in Belfast. Star had a tough time against the Ballsbridge club on the two occasions the teams met in Dublin in the league and cup before Christmas. However, Star's form on their home court in the Maysfield Centre this season has been consistently good and it is hard to see them losing, especially in view of Marian's second-half collapse against Notre Dame last weekend.
Like Star, the reigning champions, Neptune, are apparently in form just in time for next week's cup play-offs and the Cork men will be anxious to make it three league victories in a row when they visit Glasnevin to take on old rivals St Vincent's on Sunday.
Neptune's Gordon Fitzgerald was back to his best form last weekend after returning from a tour of duty with the army in the Lebanon before Christmas as he scored a combined total of 34 points in the victories over Tralee and Ballina.
In the women's Superleague, Wildcats can virtually assure themselves of a fourth consecutive title success if they defeat Tolka Rovers in Waterford tomorrow.
