Coming up this Saturday, the 13th of April at the Stinger Dome –

• 6pm – Hurling Final: Na Fianna Rouges Vs PSC Cu Chulainn
• 7pm – Ladies’ Football Final: Goose Village Blackrocks vs Verdun Vikings
• 8pm – Men’s Football Final: Goose Village Blackrocks vs Verdun Vikings

This is it, folks. Eleven weeks of football and hurling has taken us to the Winter Superleague finals, where the top two teams from each league play one last deciding match to see who is crowned champions for the 2019 winter season.

First up, we have Na Fianna Rouges lining out against PSC Cu Chulainn in the Hurling Final. The Rouge started the season strong, with four wins in a row, before taking their foot off the gas for the final two fixtures, including a narrow defeat against PSC. PSC made their way to the finals by mostly taking points from third placed St Henri harps, with their passage to the finals being booked on the back of the aforementioned one point victory over the Rouge. If the Rouge can recapture their early season form then this Final will be their’s for the taking – but with PSC having found their footing they might find that easier said than done. This game will likely hang in the balance until the very end, and give us all a fine display of hurling to kick off this finals weekend.

There’ll be no rest for some of the dual code ladies as hot on the heels of the Hurling Final we have Goose Village Blackrocks taking on the Verdun Vikings in the Ladies’ Football Final. These two teams have been trading places at the top of the table since the winter league began and they stand with one win apiece coming into the finals. So it’ll be a case of best of three here, with the Rocks looking to retain their winter superleague championship, and the Vikings eager to lay hands on some silverware for the first time since 2016.
These teams are very evenly matched, and victory here could come down to the tiniest of margins, and every player will need to give their all here. Both these sides will leave everything on the pitch in what is sure to be a very close game.

And finally, in a repeat of the 2018 winter Superleague finals, the Men’s final pits the Goose Village Blackrocks against the Verdun Vikings. After a season long three way tussle between the Rocks, Vikings, and Warriors, the Blackrocks secured their place in the final by a single point victory on the last day of the regular season and the Vikings overcame a first half deficit to join them, this final will hopefully be a fitting end to a season that’s given us such high drama over the last few months.
Like the Ladies’ teams, these teams stand at one win each, making this a suitable decider. Last time these two sides met in a final the Rocks put the foot down and never let up and the Vikings will be looking to avenge that ignominious result, where as the Blackrocks will be looking to retain their championship and assert themselves as the team to beat in the Winter league. By all rights this game will be the perfect way to end an excellent season – a fast paced and high scoring game that will go right down to the wire.

Coming up this Saturday, the 30th of march at the Stinger Dome –

• 6pm – Concordia Warriors (Ladies) vs Griffintown Gaels (Ladies)
• 7pm – Griffintown Gaels (Men’s) vs Verdun Vikings (Men’s)
• 8pm – Goose Village Blackrocks (Men’s) vs Concordia Warriors (Men’s)

Here we are folks, the last games of the season, and for the men’s final, it all comes down to this. The Vikings, Blackrocks, and Warriors all have a path to the final, but who will clinch those coveted spots? And before we answer that question, the final ladies game of the regular winter Superleague season sees the Gaels and the Warriors clash for the last time.

First we have the Concordia Warriors facing off against the Griffintown Gaels. Both these teams will be approaching this game with a similar mindset – this winterleague hasn’t been kind to either side, as the Blackrocks and the Vikings traded blows in a race to the top, these two have been caught in the crossfire. But this final match will give both teams the opportunity to end their season on a high note, and look towards the summer Superleague with renewed optimism. The Warriors were victorious the last time these sides met, and would hope that their continually improving form will make it two for two here. Meanwhile the Gaels have struggled to find their groove all winter, but this game gives them one last chance to find the right formula. They have the talent, but the vital spark has been missing, winning this game could put them on the front foot for the Summer Superleague as they look to defend their championship.
This should be a tight affair, with plenty of action – the perfect opening to this weekend’s games.

Next we have the first of a double header in the men’s football as the Verdun Vikings will take on the Griffintown Gaels. Last week the Vikings were swept aside by a relentless Warriors performance, and not even a second half rally could salvage a point for the Vikings. So now they enter their last game of the season with a simple objective. They have to win here to stand a chance of making the finals, and will need to win buy a margin of thirty three points or greater to guarantee that place. Anything else won’t be good enough.
If they win, but by fewer than thirty three points then they’ll be hoping for an outright winner of the subsequent Warriors and Rocks game, as should those sides tie, then that will keep the Vikings in third place on score difference.
The Gaels by contrast have been stuck at the bottom of the table for the season, and even a win here won’t lift them out of that spot. But if there was ever a time for the Gaels side to find their form and rain on the Vikings parade, it would be now. It’d be revenge for the Summer Superleague final of 2018, and it would put the Gaels in a high spirits heading into the summer Superleague itself.
Wlll the Vikings, temporarily, regain the top spot in the league, or does it all end here at the hands of a resurgent Gaels?

And finally, the last game of the regular season sees the Goose Village Blackrocks line out opposite the Concordia Warriors. This is a a game that could mean the difference between watching and playing in the finals for either side, or we could have a preview of the final itself, depending on how the previous game plays out.
If the Vikings fail to win, then this game becomes a dress rehearsal for the final, as both the Rocks and the Warriors will be through automatically. If the Vikings win, then the easiest path for either team would be to win this game outright and join the Vikings in the final. But should they tie then unless the Vikings manage to overturn a thirty two point deficit, it will be the same outcome as if the Vikings didn’t win – a Blackrocks Vs Warriors final. Both these teams have been in good form recently, and they will both fancy being able to beat the Vikings should they make the final, or indeed the other should they not.
For the neutral, you’d hope it all comes down to this last game, with both sides leaving everything they have on the pitch and the better team on the day being the one that makes it to the final. But football is a funny old game and, quite literally, anything can happen. So do join us for the last, and possibly most important, game of the season.
It ought to be a cracker.