Twelve months ago, the pre-Christmas meeting of Star of the Sea and Neptune was regarded as a potentially divisive match in the league title race. A year later, entering the same fixture, it's a vastly different scenario.
Neptune's victory in the corresponding match last season, broke the deadlock between the teams at the top of the table and sent them into a lead they would never lose. With that in mind, no one could have predicted the position they now find themselves in after losing their first six games in a row from the start of this season.
In contrast, Star of the Sea are back where they were a year ago, up there and challenging for the title.
The core of Neptune's problem has been one of settling their squad. Americans have come and gone for various reasons to the extent that last week in their sixth game of the league, they had two new foreign players on court, Cuban Augusto Palacios and American Chris Harper.
Harold Joiner, who did little wrong in the opening month of the season, has found himself a casualty of the team's poor form and was cut from the squad but not the payroll last week. Neptune coach, Mark Scannell, has been considering his options over the past few days and is likely to stick with 6 ft 8 in Harper and 6 ft 9 in Palacios for tomorrow's game.
Joiner, highly mobile 6 ft 1 in shooting forward, is an unlucky discard in the reshuffle of the Neptune pack through no fault of his own. His lack of height in an otherwise smallish team means that he is something of a luxury that Neptune can do without while they badly need two big men.
So why did Neptune sign Joiner in the first place? The perception is that from the start of the season, the traditional Neptune "run and gun" approach on court allied to the talents of one big and effective inside player, could reap the same rewards as last season. However, the Irish game has evolved considerably in the interim and substantial height presence on court is now an essential prerequisite for any team with ambition.
Confirmation of this can be sought by taking one look at the imposing first fives of Notre Dame, Star of the Sea and Ballina with their Bosman and naturalised Irish players supplementing their foreign acquisitions.
It is generally thought that once Neptune gets settled with their squad they will be a seriously dangerous floating team in the league, capable of beating anyone on a given day and that is the respect that Star's coach, Danny Fulton, is likely to accord the reigning champions when the sides meet in Cork.
The ironic aspect of this uncustomary slump in Cork basketball at present is that it has not affected the current boom in attendances at the Neptune Stadium and around 1,500 are expected for tomorrow evening's game.
Leaders, Notre Dame, who have now won seven in a row, will find their 100 per cent record tested severely tomorrow in Killala, where Ballina are almost certain to be without American Joseph McLean, who further damaged an injured ankle last weekend.
Ballina's attempts to sign a replacement, specifically John L'Hereux from Tralee, had failed to bear fruit up to last night.
Killarney , who have found form over the past fortnight after a poor start to their campaign, have an injury worry over Brian Clarke (ankle) who is unlikely to play a significant part in their fixture with Killester in Clontarf tomorrow.
Unpredictable Tralee, who were reported to be interested in signing Harold Joiner from Neptune, are home to Dungannon tomorrow and on Sunday there's a close looking Dublin derby game at Glasnevin, where St Vincent's will host UCD Marian.
The big game of the women's super league is another Dublin derby between Meteors and Naomh Mhuire in Sandyford tomorrow. Having lost by a point to Tolka a week ago, Meteors cannot afford to slip any further behind the leaders, Wildcats, and they are strengthened by the acquisition of a Bosman player, 6 ft 1 in Tina Thorwarth from Germany.
The match should have been a home fixture for Naomh Mhuire, but following a fire at the Oblate Hall in Inchicore, the club is currently without a home venue.
