Coming up this Saturday, the 9th of march at the Stinger Dome –

• 6pm – PSC Cu Chulainn vs Na Fianna Rouges
• 7pm – Griffintown Gaels (Men’s) vs Goose Village Blackrocks (Men’s)
• 8pm – Verdun Vikings (Ladies) vs Griffintown Gaels (Ladies)

The finals are just around the corner, and the tables are finally settling into place, but there’s still plenty to fight for. This week sees two sides in do or die clashes to keep their dreams of a place in the finals alive in our Men’s football and Hurling fixtures, and in the Ladies football the Gaels might not be in this years finals, but that isn’t going to stop them taking the fight to the Vikings in a Top and Bottom of the table clash.

First up we have PSC Cu Chulainn facing off against Na Fianna Rouges, in a match that could well decide the fate of PSC this season. Having just edged out St. Henri Harps last weekend, PSC are a single win away from a place in the finals. If they can do the business here, then we will be looking at a rerun of this fixture on finals day. If they can’t rise to the occasion here, then it’ll all come down to the last game of the season for PSC. As for Na Fianna, they booked their place in the finals weeks ago, and despite an uncharacteristically lacklustre performance back in week seven, they’ve been in fine form all season. One might expect them to ease off for this match, in order to avoid any injuries that might put them at a disadvantage in the final, but they also hold the role of potential kingmaker here. If they can deny PSC a much needed two points then there’s a good chance the Rouge could face St Henri in the final, which would perhaps be a fixture they might favour a little bit more.
So, will St Henri find it in themselves to cheer for The Rouge, or will they stand on the sidelines wishing both teams could somehow lose? Either way, this should give us a great game of hurling

Next, we have the Griffintown Gaels taking on the Goose Village Blackrocks in the Men’s football. To say that things are tight in the men’s league would be an understatement. As it stands, the Blackrocks are in third place, separated from first place by a single point, and a difference of two scores. Which makes this game so important, a win here sees the Blackrocks back on top, although just by a single point. A loss here would be a serious blow to the ambitions of the Blackrocks to claim back to back Winter Superleague trophies, so for them the calculus is simple. Win here, or start thinking about the Summer Superleague. The Gaels by contrast are no in contention for a place in the finals, having come close, but never quite managing a win all season. This situation might cause heads to drop on other teams, but not the Gaels. They feel that their time is due and if they could act as a spoiler in the process of taking a much deserved two points, all the better. Schadenfreude is a powerful motivator.
With the Blackrocks needing to put last weeks defeat behind them, and the Gaels itching to finally put some points on the board this should be a high scoring belter of a game, and we can’t wait.

Finally, we have the Verdun Vikings squaring off against the Griffintown Gaels in the Ladies’ football. With the Finalists for the ladies winter superleague already decided, you might expect this to be a dead rubber of a game. But the vikings will be coming into this looking to maintain their form so that they hit the ground running on the 13th of April. And arriving on the back of two impressive wins, you’d almost expect them to manage this without much of a struggle, but the Griffintown Gaels have received two new players, and anyone who watched them debut as subs in last weeks Vikings Vs Warriors game will know that they are a force to be reckoned with. Couple that with the fact that the Gaels have absolutely nothing to lose and are playing for pride, they will make for fearsome opponents.
It is too late for the Gaels to take a shot at the championship, but they’d be more than happy to bloody the nose of a potential championship winning side. Will this be the Gaels time to shine, or will the Vikings march on? Join us at the dome to watch what will surely be a fantastic display of football to round out the day.