Assuming their feet have hit the ground since their remarkable Irish Senior Cup triumph last Saturday, Harlequins will play host to Pegasus and Loreto in Cork this weekend for the All-Ireland League finals, with the Ulster champions aiming for their third successive victory in the competition.
Following the withdrawal of NUIG and, subsequently, their replacements Yeats County, there will be no Connacht representative in the tournament this year, with players' exam commitments ruling out both clubs. As a result there are just three games over the three days, starting with this evening's tie between Loreto and Pegasus.
It will be Loreto's debut in the League finals after their thrilling last-day clinching of the Leinster Senior A title, their first in 15 years. That was six weeks ago, though, so coach Tom O'Donoghue will hope that his players are sharp enough to take something from the team that knocked them out of this season's Irish Senior Cup.
Included in the squad of 16 is Loreto club player of the year Mary Barnwell, while Cathy McKean, tipped by Irish coach Riet Kuper as a likely member of the next senior squad, will also travel to Cork despite being in the middle of college exams.
Harlequins' hopes of adding the All-Ireland title to their Munster League and Cup double and Irish Senior Cup win have been hit by the unavailability of two of last weekend's heroines, sweeper Joyce Kehelly and Ciara McGrath, who scored the winning goal against Hermes. Both players are taking time off to finalise marriage preparations.
The hosts open their campaign against Loreto tomorrow before taking on Pegasus on Sunday morning. The Belfast club, who haven't played a competitive game since their Irish Senior Cup semi-final defeat by Hermes a month ago, are at full strength and will start the tournament as favourites.
Of the three competing teams only Harlequins are sure of European competition next season - should they win this weekend they would qualify for the Club Championships, with Hermes taking their place in the Cup Winners' Cup.
Riet Kuper will be in Cork over the weekend, where she will have discussions on her future as senior coach with the Irish Ladies Hockey Union. She will, though, be in charge for next month's Four Nations tournament in Edinburgh, where Scotland, Holland and Spain complete the line-up.
HARLEQUINS: S Hutchinson, A Falvey, V Fenton, K O'Brien, R Kohler, K Barry, K O'Sullivan, C Welch, J Chapple, J Logue, H Costello, H Chapple, G Kehelly, M Boland, K Murphy, E Dillon. Coach: A O'Driscoll.
LORETO: A Copeland, C Grealy, A Pomeroy, G O'Donoghue, G Dawson, N Symmons, C McKean, O Ryan, S Scott, S O'Meara, C Parnell, C A Byrne, C O'Kelly, M Barnwell, L Jenkinson, L Fitzgerald. Coach: T O'Donoghue.
PEGASUS: D Hawthorne, J Perry, H Beamish, J Campbell, F Ferguson, H Andrews, C Redpath, N Nicholl, P Magill, S Martin, K Mills, C McMahon, M Rainey, C McGookin, A Boyles, K Humphreys. Coach: D Scott.
