This weekend has the potential to reduce the cluttered look at the top of men's ESB league table. All seven teams currently vying for the lead are in action, some of them twice, and at least a few of them will have dropped off the pace come Sunday evening.
Of the top three, Waterford are perhaps under the most pressure. They suffered another defeat last weekend, are currently on five losses, and tomorrow play host to the in-form Notre Dame. Coach Michael Evans admits minor knee and ankle injuries are affecting some his players.
"The constant training and intense schedule of the league affects the older players at this time of year," he says. Although Evans should have a full squad for this game, few teams have greater depth than Notre Dame and they welcome back Tony McDonagh this weekend.
The Saints are also keeping a foot among the leaders despite their inconsistency, but tomorrow's live TV game with Limerick (TG4, 5 p.m.) is certain to be a major test. When the sides met before Christmas, the Saints were somewhat lucky to come away with a two-point victory. Karl Donnelly is an injury worry for the Saints, Cleotis Brown the problem man for Limerick.
UCD Marian were the big story last weekend as they pushed themselves into the leading trio - extending an unbeaten run that started in early November. They have a great opportunity to extend that run further when they face a struggling Sligo team tomorrow, although coach Kieran Dunne remains cautious. "We still have a number of tough double-header weekends coming up, so every game is vital," he says.
Killester will play their second game in three days tomorrow when they travel to Belfast to face Star of the Sea. Star need a win here to keep their title chances alive, while a win for Killester could see them open some daylight on the chasing bunch.
Few people are giving Neptune much of a chance to regain their title but two wins from their double-header weekend would put them back in the picture. Tomorrow they travel to Tyrone, currently second from the bottom, and on Sunday give Star their second game of the weekend.
The women's league may well be decided at tomorrow's meeting of Tolka Rovers and the Wildcats. Should the Wildcats manage to pull off a home victory over the defending champions they would increase their lead to four points and even at this stage that could be decisive.
Jillian Hayes is back from injury for the Waterford side while Lorraine O'Brien is the only injury worry for Tolka.
