The halfway point in the season will be reached by almost half the ESB Superleague teams this weekend as the Christmas break intervenes to give respite for some while offering others a chance to play their games in hand.

It is an appropriate time to take stock of what has been a comparatively helter-skelter campaign in which fatigue has already played a major part and will undoubtedly feature even more prominently in the New Year, especially for teams involved in the cup play-offs next month.

With a total of 26 league games to play in roughly the same length of season as it took to play just 18 matches last year, the prospect of a team pulling off the double looks remote. The qualification of Blue Demons, Star of the Sea, Notre Dame and St Vincent's for the cup semi-finals will severely test the fitness and depth of their squads while title contenders who have not made the cup weekend like Waterford, Killester and Neptune have their goal for the season more clearly defined.

Observers of basketball over the past few years will recognise the influence the cup weekend has had on the outcome of the league. In recent seasons especially, the title aspirations of Star and Notre Dame have largely come undone after playing in cup finals.

The occasion of the cup playoffs, being as large as it is, appears to drain the participants and while no team wishes to exit the competition early, it could serve to benefit their league title aspirations.

A glance at the current league table reveals the interesting statistic that three of the top four clubs are out of the cup, with only the joint leaders, Star, making it to the cup weekend.

Killester, who joined Star at the top of the table by winning a back match last weekend, are the team that looks most capable of bringing the title back to Dublin for the first time in four years.

They have a fine American pairing in Mike Trimmer and Damon Shoultz, along with a very consistent Bosman player, Michael Queenan, and a young but rapidly maturing squad that has both depth and quality.

Although they suffered a recent defeat by Waterford, Killester have been admirably consistent in their 11 games so far and they will have to be at their best tomorrow night if they are to defeat one of the form teams of recent weeks, Blue Demons, at the Neptune Stadium in Cork.

Demons have won five of their last six league games to elevate themselves up to fifth place and in Dion Wingfield (30 points per game), they have the highest scoring player in the country. Should Killester suffer defeat in Cork, Star should take over the outright lead, as they will be expected to beat Dublin Bay Vikings in Belfast on Sunday.

Third-placed Waterford, though, have a tougher task away to inconsistent Limerick, who can nevertheless trouble the best in the country when on form. Notre Dame, who can join the title race in earnest if they win their games in hand, have had to switch their important game tomorrow against Neptune from their usual home venue to Clontarf due to the Irish Open snooker championship which is taking place at the National Basketball Arena.

Killarney's struggle to find the right blend of foreign players continued this week during which they had former Castleisland American Robbie Turner on trial ahead of tomorrow's game at home to Dungannon.

There is also a Dublin derby tomorrow in UCD, where Marian host St Vincent's while Tolka Rovers travel to Sligo for a duel between the two bottom clubs in the table.

With runaway women's league leaders Wildcats enjoying a rest weekend, the Dublin derby game in Sandyford between Meteors and Killester is the main occasion of the weekend. In the only other superleague match, Tolka travel to Limerick.