Killester 59 (31)

Maigh Cuilinn 37 (16)

A second consecutive turgid offensive showing wasted a superb defensive performance by Maigh Cuilnn as they left Dublin last weekend having stymied an excellent Killester offence but still on the losing side, 59 to 37.

The odds were always going to be against the men from Galway, traveling as they were without arguably their top three offensive threats, Grant Olsson, James Loughnane and James Connaire, all out with injuries. The absence of regular starter James Lyons further dented what must have been slim hopes to begin with.

That said, had head coach John Cunningham known his team would hold Killester to below 60 points, he must have thought a famous road win was on the cards.

Maigh Cuilinn’s failure to find consistent scoring however meant they lingered but never truly appeared to be capable of taking what would have been a first win of the season.

The game started positively with Maigh Cuilinn centre Ayberk Taylan knocking down a three pointer from a deceptively smooth looking initial first offensive possession. Unfortunately, it was to prove the high point for Maigh Cuilinn attacking efficiency on the day.

Some good attacking moves by Joseph Tummon and Dylan Cunningham did yield scores but they were too few and far between. The individual quarter team totals tell their own tale, Maigh Cuilnn lost each of the quarters, by 7, 8, 2 and 5 respectively, never managing to score more than 14 points in any single period.

It reflected an more than capable ability to remain in touching distance of Killester but never actually push through and get a scoring momentum to seize a victory. Hard work, without the reward on this occasion unfortunately.

If there was to be a positive take away for the men from the west, aside from the always admirable individual effort put in by thep players in tough conditions, it would be that given the injury woes facing the team, a number of younger players are seeing extending minutes and proving capable, which will hopefully serve the team later in the season. 

The game saw Dara Kenna play a personal career high 29 out of 40 minutes as Brian Gaffney and Rory O’Sullivan also featured for extended periods, the former connecting with an impressive three pointer while on court.

Maigh Cuilinn will take a welcome break from league play next week, traveling to Cork side Ballincollig for the first round of the cup before returning to league play the weekend after with a home tie on Saturday 12 November at 7pm in University of Galway Sports Arena when they take on Tralee Warriors.

Maigh Cuilinn Scorers: Ayberk Taylan 15, Joseph Tummon, 7, Dylan Cunningham 4, Kyle Cunningham 4, Anze Kos 4, Brian Gaffney 3, Rory O’Sullivan, Dara Kenna

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