It will be an all-Cork battle this weekend in the final of the Women’s Premier League after two competitive semi-finals over the weekend.
Singleton SuperValu Brunell overcame DCU Mercy on a 69 to 52 point margin to book their spot in the final. They finished off on an overall semi-final scoring of 122-102 on aggregate.
“We’re delighted to be in a league final,” said coach Kieran O’Leary. “We beat a good team to get there and we’ve nothing to lose now. Top four was our target and to be in the final is a huge bonus.”
Brunell opened with a strong quarter and picked off steals whenever Mercy threatened a foothold in the game.
“Our steals can win us games sometimes – when we get one or two of them it gives us momentum for the next offence,” said Edel Thornton.
Brunell’s Megan O’Leary, Kieran O’Leary and Katie Hannemann.
“We were confident after three wins against them but that would have meant nothing if we lost. We just knew we had to contain Sarah Woods and Caroline Stewart in the post,” the 18-year-old continued.
Speaking after the game, DCU Coach Mark Ingle conceded: “Brunell just played better on the day. They shot the ball well and had a good balance to their team.”
Meanwhile in the other semi-final, holders Team Montenotte Hotel glided into this year’s final with a 147-83 aggregate win over Court Yard Liffey Celtics of Leixlip.
Celtics were looking to end the season on a positive note but Glanmire started running the floor and cut off supply to any scoring threat.
Gráinne Dwyer in action.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s final showdown, Her.ie Sportswoman of The Year 2014 and Glanmire star Gráinne Dwyer said, “We won’t be altering our preparations too much. The mind-set will change as the game gets closer but we’re ready. It’ll be nice to have a Cork derby in the final.”
The Women’s Premier League final will be played in NUIG Kingfisher this Saturday, March 28th at 8pm and it’s set to be an absolute cracker.
