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.

Coming up this Saturday, the 2nd of march at the Stinger Dome –

• 6pm – Goose Village Blackrocks (Men’s) vs Verdun Vikings (Men’s)
• 7pm – Concordia Warriors (Ladies) vs Verdun Vikings (Ladies)
• 8pm – St Henri Harps vs PSC Cu Chulainn

With only for more game weeks to go, pressure is building for the teams that are still battling for their place in the finals. In men’s football the Blackrocks will look to put some daylight between them and the rest of the pack, the Warriors will look to put the breaks on the Vikings charge on first place in ladies’ football, and in hurling PSC and St Henri go toe to toe in a game that may well mean the difference between a spot in the finals and a spot watching them for both these teams.

Kicking things off we have the Goose Village Blackrocks lining up against the Verdun Vikings. Things are tight in the men’s league, with the these sides in first and third, respectively and separated only by a point. Both these sides have an advantage of having a game in hand and the Blackrocks will be hoping to capitalise on that with a much needed win here to give themselves a bit more breathing room at the top. The Vikings will be looking back to the start of the season for a bit of inspiration for this one, last time they let the game slip through their fingers as the Blackrocks has more gas in the tank and took their chances more consistently as the game went on. This time they’ll be hoping to repay the favour and use that to leapfrog to the top of the table.
This one should be closely fought, with victory going to the team that can best hold their nerve – this should definitely be one to watch.

The Vikings will be in the mix again for the second game as the Ladies’ take to the field opposite the Concordia Warriors. The Vikings and the Blackrocks have been swapping places at the top of the table for a while now, and with the Blackrocks ending the Gaels chances of making the final last weekend, the Vikings will be looking to do the same to the warriors, and regain the top spot. For the Warriors, this is do or die time. They have a very narrow path to the finals and will need to win every one of their last three games, and hope for the Vikings to lose all of their remaining matches. Nobody in the Warriors’ camp will be under the impression that this is anything but a mammoth task, but now isn’t the time for self doubt. This will be a big ask for the Warriors, but can they do it? Join us in finding out with what should be a fantastic display of football.

And finally, we have some small ball action with St Henri Harps meeting PSC Cu Chulainn for the second time this season. The Harps finally put some points on the board last weekend, by putting a stop of na Fianna Rouges’ unbeaten streak, so spirits will be high going into this. A win here will see them off the bottom of the table for the first time this winter, and put them in a stronger position than many would have thought possible for a place in the finals. PSC will be aiming to nip the harps newfound confidence in the bud, and a performance similar to their fourteen point victory earlier in the season, would do the job just fine. Whichever side takes the two points here will be in the driving seat for the rest of the season, so expect both to go at this hard and refuse to give an inch. Exciting stuff to bring the day to a close.

Coming up this Saturday, the 23rd of February at the Stinger Dome –

• 6pm – Na Fianna Rouges vs St Henri Harps
• 7pm – Concordia Warriors (Men’s) vs Griffintown Gaels (Men’s)
• 8pm – Griffintown Gaels (Ladies) vs Goose Village Blackrocks (Ladies)

We’re firmly in the business end of the season now, and this week sees a crucial fixture in the Hurling for the St Henri Harps, a chance to go top of the league for the Concordia Warriors in men’s football, and a visit to the last chance saloon for the Griffintown Gaels in the ladies’ football.

First up we have hurling action with Na Fianna Rouges facing off against the St Henri Harps. Na Fianna are currently undefeated this season, and last week were the first team in the entire superleague to book their place in the final with a closely fought win over PSC Cu Chulainn. With all the hard work done, onlookers might expect the Rouges to take this handy and concentrate on the finals, but if they were expecting an easy game to coast through, then they’ll be sorely disappointed. The Harps have yet to put points on the board this season, but there’s still time for them to turn things around and claim a place in the finals, as PSC only have two points to their name and could well be caught. But that comeback will have to start here, which means that the Harps will need to see off a team that’s soundly beaten them twice already this season. It’s a tall order, but if there’s any team up the challenge it would be the St Henri Harps. Expect plenty of scores and even the occasional broken hurl in what is sure to be a hotly contested game.

Next we turn our attention to a league that’s found it’s to be a much tighter place. In the men’s football we have the Concordia Warriors taking on the Griffintown Gaels. The Warriors currently find themselves in third, a point behind the second placed Verdun Vikings and two adrift of the leader, the Goosevillage Blackrocks. A win for the warriors here would bring them at least up to second, and could even put them in first if the goal difference is great enough. And they’ll be thankful they’re facing off against the Gaels who have been struggling to find their form this season. That confidence could be their undoing, as the Gaels have the makings of a team that could rival any in this league, and have a well documented habit of having a stronger second half of a season than the first. Both sides will need a win here, for the Gaels it’d be the shot in the arm their season needs, and for the warriors it’d be exactly what they need to keep their path to the finals on track. Whose to say which way this fixture will go, but we do know it’ll be a great game to watch.

And wrapping things up for us are the Griffintown Gaels lining out opposite the Goose Village Blackrocks in ladies’ football. The Blackrocks have had a funny couple of weeks, from narrowly beating the Vikings two weeks ago, to being routed by that same side last week, you could forgive the Blackrocks for feeling disorientated going into their third fixture in as many weeks. But if there was ever a time for a steady hand to right the ship, that’d be now. A first or second place finish will most probably rest on the performances given during the run in, and the Blackrocks would have to know that any slip up here would be pounced upon by their rivals. The Gaels, like their male counterparts, haven’t had the best start to the season, but they might well be smelling blood in the water going into this. It’s a rare sight of late to see the Blackrocks beaten so soundly, and the Gaels might be hoping to compound their misery with a smash and grab performance to pluck two points for themselves. If there was ever a time for that, it would surely be now.
Will the Blackrocks get back on course, or is it time for the Gaels’ engine to finally start firing? Either way, this should be a cracker of a game to see out the day.